Adventure Awaits!
by Koki-chan
Summary: A girl, tired of the mundane things of life, is whisked off to Neverland in the middle of the night. She is not going to be their mother, but one of them!
1. A New Adventure

**Hiya, Koki-chan here! Now this is my first Peter pan fic, I've been a huge fan of The Boy Who Never Grew Up since I was a tiny tot. Now, I am aware that in the book Peter Pan has blond hair, but I loved the idea of Disney's version with the red hair. So, I stuck with the red, since it was the Disney version that stole my heart (But it was the book that kept it! XD)! Makes my story a little different, ne? I'm gonna be throwing some things from the movies and the book in, so I hope you don't mind! It's just so hard to choose between them! XD I hope you like it.**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Peter Pan, or Tinker Bell, they were created by J.M Barrie and the copyrights were left to a children's hospital. I do, however, own Melody Cahill!**_

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I squirted a dab of toothpaste on my toothbrush, bringing it up to my mouth, I began to brush my teeth. I yawned, my toothbrush dangling out of the corner of my mouth, another tedious day finally over. I had started high school just a few months ago, and already I was tired of it. No one really interested me, all of them seemed to have grown up so fast, none of them were able to enjoy the simple things of childhood anymore, all too caught up in that 'MTV' junk. If growing up meant dressing up each day in less clothing than the average swimsuit and making out with some random guy out in the open, than I would rather stay a kid. The fact that I was still clinging to my childhood not only annoyed my peers, but it also enraged my mother. Responsibility was what she wanted me to have, but I did not want it. Although, if I was more responsible, I probably would not have gone through two copies of one book at the age of fourteen. I never want to grow up. The mere thought of it makes my blood run cold.

Okay, maybe I'm getting a little too dramatic, but you get the idea. I sighed as I let my eyes drift to my most prized possession: my third copy of _Peter Pan_. The two copies before it were worn to the point that I could no longer make out the words. But of course, being the sentimental person I am, those copies are stored safely in my bookcase. I finished up my bedtime rituals, changing into my flannel pajamas, another way for me to cling to my childhood. No tiny nighties for me!. I smiled, my fingers lightly grazing the cover. As a small child, I had often dreamed of Peter Pan flying in through my window and taking me to Neverland. Wouldn't that be wonderful? A place where all you do all day is have fun, no responsibilities weighing you down. I smirked, then I wouldn't have to deal with all those girls in their tiny skirts, and those guys in those muscle cars. I picked the book up, embracing it childishly. If only ... I made my way to the window, opening it a crack, making sure to leave it unlocked, another childish habit of mine.

I set the book down on my nightstand before diving under my duvet. I was tempted to ask my mother to read me a bedtime story, but that would only result in a lecture on growing up. Daddy would read one to me, but Mother would get mad if she found out. I settled on reading one to myself. I carefully opened my visibly worn third copy of _Peter Pan_, being extra cautious, for I did not have the money for a fourth copy at the moment. I quietly turned the pages to one of my favorite parts of the book, the big fight with Captain Hook. I mumbled he words aloud to myself until my eyelids became heavy. I gently placed my book on the nightstand next to my bed. I turned out the lights, closing my eyes as I drifted to sleep.

_If only..._

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My dreams were suddenly interrupted by a heavy feeling on my stomach, making breathing a little difficult. I tried wiggling around, too tired to open my eyes, but the weight remained. I slowly opened my eyes to see a boy. He was sitting on my stomach, staring at me, his face only inches away.

"You make funny faces in your sleep." he grinned.

I did the only logical thing I could think of. I screamed.

The boy, obviously startled, leaped off of my stomach and seemed to fly across the room.

"Melody?" my mother's voice drifted through the halls. "What happened? Are you alright?" she asked, worry evident in her voice.

I shot a glance at the intruder. He stood near my bookcase, ready to wedge himself between it and the wall. He gave me a pleading look.

I stared at him, my curiosity out-weighing my common sense. "Nothing, Mother. I just saw a spider." I called out, knowing my mother at least respected my privacy as she stood outside my closed door. "I killed it." I added.

"Go to bed." she sighed, I could tell she was rolling her eyes in annoyance.

I listened to her walk down the hall, not moving until I heard her bedroom door shut.

I looked over at the boy, "Coast's clear." I whispered.

He just about floated to my bed, a broad smile on his face. "Ah, the cleverness of me." he smiled, settling himself on my bed. He crossed one leg under him, the other dangling off the side of the bed.

"Yeah, _I _sure didn't do anything." I muttered, annoyed.

"Well, you helped a little, I guess."

That sure sounds familiar. I rolled my eyes, then I stared at him, trying to fully comprehend what was going on. The boy before me looked to be my age, probably an inch or two taller. He had a thin, but muscular frame. His hair was an indistinguishable shade between red and light brown, flecks of gold dancing throughout it. The length of it was long enough to hang in his eyes. Those aquamarine eyes held an exuberance, a playful look bursting with youthful whimsy. His clothes were another matter. They seemed to be made of leaves, save a pair of green tights and leathery shoes. The final touch that confirmed my hopes, a green cap sat atop his head, a red feather poking out of it. My heart began to thump wildly, "Peter." I whispered. "Peter ... Pan." I said, my voice growing louder. "Peter Pan!" I said, a silly grin plastered on my face.

"Shhh!" the boy clamped a hand over my mouth. Just then I heard a toilet flush, someone, most likely my brother, shuffling down the hall and past my room before retiring to his own.

My heart thumped harder, "You are, aren't you?" I breathed.

"Yup, the one and only." he smiled proudly.

I had a jack-hammer in my chest by now. My hero was sitting before me, a smile on his face. I took my thumb and forefinger and pinched the back of my other hand. "Ow!" I mumbled. So I wasn't dreaming.

"What did you do that for?" Peter asked. He then shook his head, "Girls are weird."

I looked up at him, now that the first wave of excitement had passed, a new wave of skepticism moved in. I stared hard at him again, "So, how do know that you're the real Peter Pan?" I asked.

"Well, who else could I be?"

"Some weird guy in green tights." I stated matter-of-factly. "I mean, Peter Pan is supposed to never grow up, stay a kid, but you look like a teenager to me. That's quite a bit grown up if you ask me"

Peter shook his head, "Well I didn't ask you, I've always looked like this. I'm still a kid." he cried, uncertainty evident in his voice.

I crossed my arms across my chest, "Prove it."

Peter thought about it for a while, then flashed me a toothy grin, revealing a mouthful of baby teeth. "I've never lost a tooth. That enough proof for you?" he asked.

I blinked, trying to let everything sink in. Sitting here, on my bed, at about 2:00 a.m on a school night I might add, was a teenage boy with all of his baby teeth, claiming to be Peter Pan. The boy regained his cocky smile, taking my silence as confirmation that I believed him, which I was starting to. "One last question." I mumbled, holding up my index finger. "Why are you here?"

Peter blinked, "Oh, right." he turned his head and let out a low whistle. Responding to his call, a black figure flew in through my open window. "I saw it escape last night, so I came to return it to you." Peter stated, "I'm a pretty nice guy, huh?" he grinned.

I stared at the thing that had flown in. It was pitch black, only barely visible against the moonlight. It held the faint shape of a person.

"What is that?" I asked, staring at the strange being.

"Your shadow." Peter said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "You lost it. Didn't you notice?"

"My shadow?" I cried, jumping off of my bed to flick on the lights. I stood under the lamp, peeking behind me. Peter was right, I didn't have a shadow. I glanced over at him, a look of pure amusement on his face.

"That's right. Your shadow." he chuckled.

"I thought you were the one losing your shadow. I thought it was just a Peter thing." I said, thinking aloud.

Peter laughed, "You sure are weird." he turned to my shadow, signaling for it to come over to him. He grabbed the foot, I believe and held it out to me.

I stared at it, unsure of what to do next.

"You gotta reattach it." Peter informed me, sensing my confusion.

"Do I really have to sew it on?" I asked, recalling how he regained his shadow in the book.

"How else can you do it?" he asked.

I sighed, turning to my nightstand, opening a drawer, pulling out a needle and a spool of thread. I stared at the threaded needle uncomfortably. I did not like the idea of the needle going through the skin of my foot. I looked up at Peter, than down at my foot, the shadow of my foot pressed firmly against it.

Peter stared at it too, "C'mon. You can do it. Wendy made it look really easy." he mused.

I looked up at him, not liking the fact that he was comparing me to Wendy. I bit my lip as I moved the needle swiftly through my foot and the shadow, trying to get it done as soon as possible. I could tell that Peter was watching my exaggerated movements, a smirk on his face when he noticed the weird look on mine. I chewed on my lip more fervently, determined not to cry in front of Peter Pan. I smiled, I guess re-reading that book over and over again really had an effect on my behaivor. I finished, admiring my less-than-perfect attempt at sewing. I was never really good at those kind of things. I stood under the lamp once again, lifting my legs, and waving my arms. The shadow on the wall followed my movements. I grinned triumphantly.

I heard Peter snicker behind me. I whirled around to see him lying on my bed, stifled giggles erupting from his throat. "Girls sure are weird." he said for the second time tonight.

I could feel a deep red color filling my cheeks as I plopped down on the floor beside the bed. I looked up at him, "What else did you come here for?" I asked, "I'm sure you did not come here all the way from Neverland just to give my shadow back. I mean, how did you even find my shadow?"

Peter thought about it for a minute, "I came over here because I was looking for something." he stated.

"What?"

"I was looking for a mother for me and The Lost Boys." he pulled out his pan flute, quietly blowing into a few pipes. "You'll do."

Oh. So that's what it was. "Hate to break it to you, Pete." Ha, I've known my hero for only twenty minutes and I had the audacity to not only call him by his first name, but shorten it into a nickname . "But I'm not exactly the 'mother' type."

"But, your a girl. Aren't mothers supposed to be girls?" he asked, surprised.

"Well, technically ..." I mumbled.

"So you can be our mother."

I sighed. This was going to be harder than I thought. "You want someone to cook for you, clean up after you, mend your pockets and read you bedtime stories, right?" I asked.

"Yeah, that's what mothers do." Peter nodded.

"Well, I'm not exactly anyone's first pick for a mother. I can cook a little bit, but not very well, and you just saw how uncomfortable I am with a sewing needle." I kicked a clump of dirty clothes on my bedroom floor, "And if you look around, you can see I am not exactly a tidy housekeeper. I could probably tell you bedtime stories, but I can't guarantee you'll like them. I'd love to go with you to Neverland, but not as your mother. no sirree." I shook my head. "I'd **help** you cook, I'd** help** you clean up. I may even do a little sewing." I looked into his eyes, "A _little _sewing. I'll tell you a story or two, but I don't want to be your mother. I don't wanna be on some sort of pedestal." I then crawled into my bed, pulling the covers over my head, vaguely remembering Wendy doing something similar in the book. Silently hoping that it would have a similar effect.

"I always thought that girls were better then boys. I thought that one girl was of more use then twenty boys." when I did not respond, he pretended to leave. I did not move, hoping he would do the same thing he did with Wendy. Then I frowned at myself, realizing I didn't want to be Wendy 2 in his eyes. Nonetheless, I received the desired effect. "Okay, I'm sorry." Peter mumbled, defeated. He pulled the blanket from over my head. "You don't have to be our mother. But if you'll still help us out, I'll take you to Neverland." he mumbled.

I smiled, jumping out of bed. "Okay then."

"You can be ... my second in command. But you'll still have to listen to the Lost Boys on certain occasions, like in battles and hunting and stuff." he informed me. "What's your name, by the way?" he asked. He's been in my room, probably floated around outside of here for days, even asked me to be his mother, then his second in command, but had not even bothered to learn my name.

"Melody." I smiled, remembering how Peter disliked when Wendy gave him her full name, which was pretty long. Peter disliked the fact that his name sounded so short compared to Wendy's.

"Melody." he repeated, "That's easy." then he thought about it. "Melody what?"

I grinned, I had an idea as to what he was getting at. "Melody Cahill." Peter smiled, I was right. Maybe my name was longer than his, but it certainly was shorter than Wendy's.

"Give me a second." I mumbled, fumbling around in my closet for a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, "I don't think sleepwear is proper attire for a second in command." I said, mostly to myself.

Peter shrugged, "Whatever."

I sneaked into the bathroom across the hall and changed, quickly running a brush through my dirty blond hair, noticing how ratty it looked right now. I sneaked back into my room, my pajamas in a bundle under my arms. I dumped them on the floor the moment my door was closed. What I wore was nothing special, a light blue t-shirt with a faded yellow star in the upper left-hand corner and a pair of run-of-the-mill dark blue jeans, a tear in the left knee from when I fell off of my bicycle. I pulled on a pair of red high-top converse. It didn't exactly match, but who cares?

"Ready?" Peter asked, already becoming impatient.

"Uh-huh. But wait." I looked around, "Where's Tinker Bell? I'll need fairy dust, won't I?" I asked, suddenly noticing the absence of my favorite fairy.

As if on cue, a bright ball of light came flying from out of my closet, where she must have been hiding before all this happened.

Peter snapped his fingers, Tinker Bell flew around me, dusting me with fairy dust.

"Now, think happy thoughts." Peter said.

I could have said those words already, all those years of reading his books had sunken in, but I decided to let him have his fun. The mere thought of flying through the air was enough to lift me off of the ground.

"Good." he took my hand and flew with me out the window, landing delicately on the roof of my house. He pointed up, my hand still in his.

"Second star to the right." I breathed, I couldn't let Peter say all of that neat stuff.

"And straight on 'til morning." he added.

I couldn't help it, I had the most idiotic grin on my face, unable to contain my emotions. Peter took off, pulling me along as I flew next to him, Tinker Bell flying near our heads. I sneaked a glance at her. She was just as pretty as the movies depicted her to be, a dazzling figure in the skeleton of a leaf. I really hope that she likes me more then she did Wendy.

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**There you have it! I hope you liked it! And if you didn't, the second chapter is better! It'll be up in a week, maybe (most likely) less. Constructive criticism welcomed! R&R**


	2. The Lost Boys

**Here is chapter two! I had so much fun with this chapter! I hope you like it, too. While the Lost Boy's names may sound a bit weird, it is because I am a bit weird! I'll explain them later, kay? At the end of the chapter.**

_**Disclaimer: I own Melody, Toriko, Luep, Mota and Niko. Everything else, I do not.**_

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The second star to the right and straight on 'til morning. I did not quite know what was happening, or really how we got here, but it felt amazing, like my heart was filling up with joy so quickly it would burst any second. Now, that does not sound like a very fun feeling, but believe me, it is. Peter and I landed on a cloud, allowing me to take in the beauty of Neverland from the sky. "Awesome." was the only word I could think of to describe my feelings. I leaned over as far as I could, trying to see everything at once. "The Indian Tribe, Mermaid Lagoon, it's all really here."

Peter crossed his arms across his chest, gazing proudly at his homeland, "Pretty amazing, huh?"

I nodded fervently, "Uh-huh!" I exclaimed breathlessly.

"Do you want to see it up close?"

I looked up at him and smiled, "More than anything." was my cliched answer.

Peter took my hand and led me while we flew though the area. Waterfalls and mermaids splashing in the lagoon. Smoke rising in spirals above the Indian grounds, stereotypical tepees dotting the area. Heavily wooded areas abound. Everything I had ever read about and more. It would take an author far more talented than I to explain and describe all of these beautiful sights and do them justice. Which is precisely why James Matthew Barrie is the famous author and not I. My eyes scanned the area once more, finally resting on a body of water, a lone ship bobbing on the surface. That ship was so oddly familiar. Then it hit me. "Peter, that isn't Captain Hook's ship, is it?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, that's his ship alright." Peter said.

"But, didn't the crocodile get him? And didn't you take Wendy and the boys home on that ship?" I asked, utterly puzzled.

"I sure did. But the ship didn't exactly fit in our hideout, so I just left it there." he shrugged, not seeing it as anything important.

"Oh." was all I could say, feeling embarrassed for my sudden outburst. "Are there any pirates on that ship?"

"Sure, there are a few. The Lost Boys and I always keep them in line, though." he grinned proudly.

"Where are the Lost Boys?" I asked, suddenly remembering half the reason I was here.

"They're waiting at our hideout." he replied. I simply loved the fact that he said 'our hideout' and I could not hide the wide smile on my face.

"What?" he asked, noticing my goofy smile.

"Nothing, I just can't wait to meet the Lost Boys and begin my duties."

"Well, then let's go." he smiled, setting of in the direction of a forest. We flew over the treetops, and then Peter swooped down, gently setting me down on the ground. He then dragged me in the direction of a large tree. He opened up some sort of secret door, and softly pushed me in.

"Peter?"

"Just go on!" he called, closing the door behind me. He threw his head back and crowed.

I made a face, though he could not see it. I slowly and cautiously made my way forward, only to slip and fall. When I fell, it felt like I had fallen on a slide, and was now sliding down it in the dark. I was terrified, but I have to admit, I would do it again. I finally saw a patch of light ahead. Before I knew it, I rolled into a huge room, and Peter was rolling right towards me. I found out later that there are various entrances into thei-our hideout, and Peter had come in through the entrance across from mine. We rolled into each other, our foreheads bumping together, stopping us as we fell backwards from the impact.

Peter threw his head back and laughed, considering what had just happened great fun.

I rubbed my head, but couldn't help but smile. It _was_ sort of fun. I looked around, the room I was in was amazing. There were chairs and a table in one corner, and various weapons in another. It was every little boy's dream room, and it was pretty neat to me, too. Across the room was a curtain, most likely Peter's room was on the other side.

"Peter!" came a chorus of voices.

I snapped my head to a different part of the room to see four boys bounding towards us. The hair on each of their heads was tangled with various things such as feathers and leaves poking out. Their clothes were made of animal skins, tattered and torn shirts and trousers underneath them. They all crowded around me, bright eyes inspecting me. If I had to take a guess, i would say the four of them ranged in age from twelve to six years of age.

"Who are you?" asked one boy, freckles doting his cheeks. His hair was a scraggly, yet adorable, wavy mop of blond hair.

"This," Peter began, floating over to me, "Is our newest recruit."

They all stared up at me, smiles plastered on their faces. "Is this our new mother?" two boys asked in unison, they looked like twins, both with brown eyes and shaggy black hair.

Peter shook his head, "No, she is not."

"Then why is she here?" asked one who seemed to be the oldest, next to Peter, of course. He sported a red-tipped mohawk, which I found amusing to no end for he looked like a rooster.

"She's going to be our new member, and as the second oldest, she will be my second in command." he explained, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder to point at me.

Rooster-boy did not look pleased, "And that's it?"

"Well, I guess I'll do a little cleaning for you boys." I shrugged.

"She said she'll cook for us, too." Peter added.

"Yeah, a little bit, and If it's not too big of a job for me, I can do some sewing." I held up my thumb and index finger, signifying how little I planned to do.

"Will she tell us stories?" the boy with freckles asked. He was quickly becoming my favorite.

I looked up, trying to appear deep in thought as I crossed my arms.

All the boys stared, waiting for an answer. Even the oldest seemed to be interested in my answer.

I looked at each of them, my eyes finally landing on the youngest who had asked the question. "Sure, I could do that."

The twins and the youngest jumped up and cheered. Even Rooster-boy smiled.

"What makes you different from a mother?" one of the twins asked.

I scanned the little boy's face, hoping to find some differences in his features from his twin's. "I'm not going to tuck you in at night." I stated, placing my fists on my hips and looking away, hoping the boys would see I was serious and not protest.

Rooster-boy shrugged indifferently. I had a feeling I was going to have trouble with this one.

The other three pouted, but quickly recovered, finding the idea of stories everyday far more appealing.

"So if you are not our mother, what should we call you?" Rooster-boy asked.

Peter smacked his forehead, "I forgot." he cried. He took my shoulder and swiveled me around to face all four of the boys. "This is Melody. But all of you are to address her as ..."

"No, Melody is fine." I interrupted.

Peter obviously did not like being interrupted. "When you become a part of the Lost Boys, you get a new name. That's a rule." Peter informed me.

I blinked, "Really?" I asked, "What are all of your new names?" I looked over at the Lost Boys.

"I'm Toriko." Rooster-boy mumbled. At least he was beginning to respect me.

"Luep!" the first one shouted.

"Mota!" the second one chimed in.

"I'm Niko." the youngest with the freckles smiled up at me.

"You." Peter touched my head, perhaps as a way to christen me, 'Will be known as Kino."

"Kino." the boys repeated.

"And, you must swear to me."

I looked up at his face.

"It is this, if we meet Hook in open fight, you must leave him to me."

"I promise." I smiled, now I was officially part of the Lost Boys. Wait a minute ... "Um, Peter?" I asked.

"Yes?"

"So, I'm a Lost Boy now, right?" I asked.

"Yes."

"But, I'm not a boy."

"So?"

"But I thought girls were better than boys."

"You are our equal now. You yourself said you didn;t want to be on a pedestal." said Peter.

I smirked. I guess I'll let it go this time.

"Now, on to our next matter of business." Peter began, disappearing into his room. A few seconds later, he emerged with a sword in each hand, Tinker Bell following closely behind. He threw one blade in the air, skillfully catching it on the edge of the hilt. He thrusted the hilt towards me.

I reached out my hand, curling my fingers around the hilt. Peter released it, allowing me to hold it up and examine the sword.

He held his own sword out, pointing it at me. "Now, we must teach you how to fight." he gave me a cocky grin. "But don't worry, I'll go easy on you."

I held my sword out in a similar fashion, grinning back. I am not quite sure who swung their sword first, but before I knew it, we were in a heated battle. Now, I had a little bit of experience in sword fighting for I had received four months worth of fencing lessons for my last birthday. My mother did not quite understand, or like, my interests, but she supported me all the same. In those our months I had learned quite a few techniques and some fancy footwork, which I was able to use here. Those four months of training, however, were no match for the great skill of Peter Pan. I put up a good fight, if I do says so myself, but Peter was able to overpower me in a matter of minutes. I looked up at him in defeat.

A proud smile spread across his face, "Not bad, but you will definitely need some more training to keep up with me." he turned his head and signaled for the lost boys and Tinkerbell, who had been watching from the sidelines, to join us in the middle of the room. "Toriko, I want you to begin Melody's training tomorrow."

The boy addressed did not seem to like this one bit, that is until Peter said with a devilish grin:"Show her no mercy." to which Toriko responded with a grin of his own.

Peter explained soon after that if I wanted to participate in any form of battle, I would need to be in top condition as soon as possible. I was still a little bit wary of the idea of a twelve-year-old boy who already seems to dislike me training me with real swords and showing me 'no mercy.' But, thankfully, Peter appointed Tinker Bell to supervise my lessons.

"And now that that is settled." Peter began, "It looks like it is time for all of us to get some sleep."

None of the lost boys protested, which seemed uncharacteristic for a bunch of small boys living in Neverland. But, I soon realized, bedtime meant one thing: stories.

Even Toriko, despite being twelve years of age, was eager to hear a story. It does not matter how old you are, you are never too old to appreciate a bedtime story, especially if you had never heard one before.

All the boys, tucked away in a large fold-out bed, stared at me, willing the story to begin.

I smiled as I began my first story-telling session. I began with those infamous four words: "Once upon a time ..."

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When all of the boys had nodded off to sleep I silently crept to the back of the room where Peter had been listening to my story. "Where am I going to sleep?" I whispered, utterly exhausted from my full night. Why, it had to be at least four in the morning!

"Hmmm, I didn't think about that." he mumbled, scratching his head. "Come." he took my hand and lead me into his room. The moment he set foot in his domain, he began is work, tossing some blankets and pillows made of fur and stuffed with leaves into a separated section in his room. "You can sleep here tonight." he wiped some sweat off of his brow with his hand.

I looked over at the hastily made bed. It was a lot nicer in here than the room of the Lost Boys. It was a little less cluttered in here. "Thank you." I yawned as I plopped myself down on my new bed. Now that I think about it, I probably should have brought my pajamas instead of leaving them on the floor of my room. My old room that is. Oh well, hindsight is always 20/20. I crawled under the blanket fully clothed. The boys did it, why couldn't I? I lay in my bed, the pillow stuffed with leaves was surprisingly soft.

"Hey, Melody?"

"Yeah?"

"I can't sleep, could you tell me another story."

Now, I was very tired, I did not want to tell another story. But, I couldn't say no to Peter Pan, could I? "Okay, but I'm going to tell you a different kind of story." I yawned.

"Really, there is more than one kind?" Peter asked.

"Uh-huh." I reached into my pocket for something I had stored away before we left: my harmonica. "Okay, I'll start now."

Peter became silent as I softly began to play. I used soft breaths, both short and long, inhale and exhale to produce a soft, sweet, bluesy melody. (Is that considered a pun?) I moved my lips up and down the length of the harmonica with great skill. I don't want to toot my own horn, but after so many years of practice, I had become quite talented after all the years of annoying those around me. I stopped playing when the soft sound of Peter's snoring reached my ears. I smiled, it was just like a boy to nod off before the 'story' was over. I tucked my harmonica away, closing my eyes and snuggling under the covers, Peter's rhythmic breathing slowly lulling me to sleep.

after all the years of annoying those around me. I stopped playing when the soft sound of Peter's snoring reached my ears. I smiled, it was just like a boy to nod off before the 'story' was over. I tucked my harmonica away, closing my eyes and snuggling under the covers, Peter's rhythmic breathing slowly lulling me to sleep.

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**Okay, as promised, the Lost Boys and their name explanations:**

**Toriko: This one,I made on a whim, wanting to instill 'bird' somewhere in his name. I tried to change the spelling around, but I liked it like this. He is twelve years old. Toriko is also loosely based on one of the Lost Boys in the movie 'Hook.' I think he was the one Peter Pan left in charge when he left.**

**Luep: It was originally 'Lupe' I typed it wrong on the rough draft and when I read it over, I liked this spelling better, I thought it was cuter and more unique! XD He is around nine years old.**

**Mota: It is an anagram of my brother's name in Spanish with a letter or two left out. I originally intended for the twins to have rhyming names, but I could not come up with a rhyming name I liked for either of their present names, so I gave up on that idea. he is around nine years old.**

**Niko: I intended it to be Liko, an anagram of 'Loki' the Norse god. I did a spell check, and one of the options for a re-spelling was 'Niko.' I thought that was incredibly cute, so I kept it. Niko is four. Part of the reason he is so young is because I wanted there to be a range of ages. And I kind of wanted a little one around that Melody always looks after and keeps out of trouble, kind of like a big sister. XD**

**Looking back, the only name that stayed the same was 'Toriko' All the others changed. But I like them, do you? XD**

**Also, Melody's new name, 'Kino' has a meaning, too. It is short for 'Kinoto' which means 'second in rank.' Clever, ne? To be totally honest, I picked the name before I knew the meaning. It's like destiny, ne? XD I just thought that was neat, and thought maybe you'd think so too! XD**

**If you want profiles of the boys, let me know! I'll put them at the ends of the chapters! XD**


	3. Training

**Sorry if this chapter felt a little awkward, it was a little bridge I had to cross to get to the next part of the story. And I felt that the lost boys did not have a large part in the last chapter, so I included them a little more! XD I hope you like it! If you noticed, Peter called 'Kino' Melody in the last chapter. That was completely intentional, as you will sorta see in this chapter! XD **

**P.S: Margotllama: Which name did I use that you also used? I can't seem to figure out which! I'm sorry. Let me know!**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing but Melody/Kino, Toriko, Luep, Mota and Niko._**

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"Hey! Wake up." I heard a voice bark.

I groaned and rolled over, far too tired to even open my eyes.

I heard an annoyed sigh as whoever was addressing me stalked out of the room. Seconds later I felt a splash of cold water hit my face. I screamed and shot out of my make-shift bed. I wiped the water off of my face and looked up at my assailant. There stood Toriko, an amused smile on his face. The nerve of this kid! Before I could yell at him he quickly explained.

"Captain said we had to start training first thing in the morning." Toriko had a smirk on his face.

I sighed, tiptoeing over to my sword so I wouldn't wake Peter. I snatched it up and then followed Toriko to a large, secluded field behind the great tree, Tinker Bell already waiting in her place. Toriko held out his sword, giving me a hasty bow before reading himself.

I smirked, turns out this kid has some manners after all. I bowed, then readied myself.

Toriko waited, his sword pointed towards me. He was waiting for me to make the first move, Being the girl I was, I gladly accepted. Loud clashes of metal rang through the morning air as Toriko and I dueled. Toriko was very skilled, for all I could do was block his attacks as he pressed on. We swung those swords for what felt like hours. Toriko swung his sword as I clumsily dodged, leaving a wide opening on my right side. Toriko went for it, successfully leaving a large nick on my cheek before I could move. I felt the warm blood trickle down the right side of my face. This kid was serious! I hastily wiped the blood off with my arm before unleashing a barrage of attacks on the boy. He skillfully deflected each swing as I tried my best to lure him into a corner. Toriko was not as skilled as Peter, but he was still better than I was. He lifted his sword slightly, attempting to attack. I took this opportunity to hit his side with the blunt side of my sword, determined to get him back, but not really wanting to hurt him. Toriko gasped, jumping back and holding his free hand to his side.

Tinker Bell began to giggle, mocking Toriko for being held off so easily.

He glared at me, breathing heavily, though not nearly as hard as I was breathing. It had been a long time since I had exerted myself like this. Toriko stood up, the pain in his side waning. "Okay, you've passed." he huffed. "We start the real training tomorrow."

I dropped to my knees, exhausted. If this was just the entrance exam I did not even want to think about what the 'real' training was like.

"You are too clumsy when you dodge, that can prove to be a fatal mistake." he said, tapping his right cheek. "If we were fighting the pirates you would have received much more than that."

I wiped my cheek once more, the blood had run down my neck. I wiped that off too, hoping it did not drip on the collar of my shirt.

"You also need to be more aggressive." he continued. "No pirate is going to have any mercy on you, so don't have any on them." he then heaved a heavy sigh and muttered, "I have a lot of work to do." Then, his stomach gave a mighty rumble. "After breakfast, that is." he mumbled, his face turning red.

I wiped the sweat from my brow. I cringed at the feeling of the mixture of blood and sweat on my face. I scanned the area, quickly spotting a small stream. I walked over to rinse my hands and face, cleaning my cut in the process. I wiped my hands on the knees of my jeans. "Well, show me to the food."

Toriko walked back towards the hideout, throwing a look over his shoulder signaling for me to follow him. I walked closely behind him, eventually ending up in a secluded part of the hideout. Toriko stooped down, lifting a large rock revealing a large amount of food from berries to preserved animal meats. How they figured out how to preserve meat was anyone's guess.

I finally figured out that I was to make the breakfast. I sighed as I knelt down to get a look at the contents, Toriko quickly moving aside. I grabbed handfuls of berries, handing them to Toriko when he returned from washing his hands. He grudgingly helped me prepare breakfast which consisted of orange juice, fresh berries and little strips of mystery meat for each of the hungry boys. Yes, I had taken a shine to these boys, even bratty Toriko, so I he and I squeezed and squeezed many oranges for this breakfast. All the while I had a spare rag pressed up against my cheek to try and stop the bleeding. That bugger got me good! I discarded the rag, the blood finally clotting, before strolling over to the remaining boys and stood over them as they slept. So sweet and innocent they looked when they slept, but looks were deceiving. "Atten-_tion_!" I shouted. The boys shot out of their bed and stood in front of me, still half asleep. "Breakfast." I informed them, walking to the large table in another part of the house, all of them following me in single file. Toriko walked right behind me, Luep and Mota switching places every few seconds, Niko trailing behind. This was the order of command in the Pan household. The boys plopped down and stared at their food, spread out on a large leaf of an unknown tree. I then walked over to Peter's room, pulling back the curtain to see him still asleep. I walked over to the side of his bed and stared down at him. He certainly did not look as old as he did yesterday. Then again, it is said that people look younger in their sleep. I softly blew on his face, leaning over so my hair tickled his nose. He wiggled his nose, then opened his eyes and looked up at me.

"You make funny faces in your sleep." I smiled.

Peter grinned, then shot out of the bed, giving me a quick bow, which I returned with one of my own. "Come on, breakfast is ready." Peter sauntered over to the dining room. It wasn't really a room, but I liked calling it that anyway. When we had reached the dining area, not one of the Lost Boys had taken a single bit of their food. The sat at attention, not daring to even nibble at their food until Peter had taken the first bite. After that, their 'plates' were licked clean in a matter of minutes. I, being a sneaky one, had already eaten my breakfast before having fed the boys. Tinker Bell had prepared her own breakfast and ate in her quarters, denying me the pleasure of seeing the kinds of things fairies eat. When they had finished, they began to roam the hideout while I cleared the table. When I had finished I piling the leaves, after rinsing them off, of course, in the corner next to the food supply.

"How was your training session, Kino?" Niko asked, tugging on my jeans.

I scooped him up in my arms, being the adorable creature he was, "It went fine, Niko. Thank you for asking."

Niko giggled in delight as I poked his sides. "Kino!" he shrieked, noticing the nick on my cheek. He hands flew up to my face, his tiny palms caressing my cheeks. "What happened?"

My eyes wandered over to Toriko. He looked into my eyes, a tinge of worry behind them.

I pressed my forehead against Niko's, "Nothing, little one. I'm just too clumsy for my own good." I sneaked another glance at Toriko. He sighed with relief. Knowing Peter as I did from reading the book so often, I knew that if Toriko was found to be guilty, he would have received a matching cut on his cheek. I couldn't let that happen, could I? Despite the fact that he was a complete brat, he had too pretty a face for a sword to touch it.

Niko giggled as I rubbed my nose against his. Such an affectionate child he was, so adorable. Mota and Luep ran over and each grabbed one of my pant legs. "Kino! Me too!" each cried.

I, feeling that after a meal exercise was needed, gently placed Niko on the floor. "Peter! Come, let's play a game."

Peter, intrigued came over. I squatted down and motioned for one of the twins to jump on my back. Luep gladly obliged. "Peter, now you." I instructed.

Peter did the same I did, and Mota gleefully jumped on his back. "Now what?" Peter asked.

"We race." I chirped.

Peter, always looking for a challenge eagerly accepted. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw little Niko walk up to Toriko, who was leaning against the wall in an attempt to look cool. "Toriko," Niko mumbled, obviously intimidated by the older boy, "Will you be my partner in the race?"

"That's a wonderful idea!" Peter called, "Toriko, come race."

Toriko heaved a sigh and scooped the small boy up, placing him on his shoulders so he could slide down to rest on his back. Niko loosely wrapped his arms around Toriko's neck, Toriko's arms hooking around the back of Niko's knees. I couldn't help but smile at this. Toriko was either just following orders, or was a big softy under that rough exterior. I truly hoped it was the latter.

The goal of the game was to run through an obstacle of chairs, jump over the bed, tap at Tinker Bell's private apartment and be the first to end up back at the starting point. Peter lightly rapped on Tinker Bell's apartment, which was no larger than a bird cage. Tinker Bell pulled back the curtain that hid her domain from the prying eyes of boys. Peter asked if she would like to participate. Tinker Bell indifferently agreed to be the referee.

We all lined up at the starting point, Peter and Mota, Toriko and Niko, and Luep and I. A beautiful ringing of bells was Tinker Bell's signal for us to begin. We ran the obstacle course, weaving through the chairs with ease, but while bounding over the bed, Toriko tripped, falling face down onto the sheets. "Go, Toriko, go!" Niko cheered. Toriko jumped up, trailing behind the other two. Peter tapped Tinker Bell's quarters while my knuckles barely missed, sending me back to tap on it properly. Toriko, Niko, Luep and I were gaining on Peter quickly, but with one jump, Peter flew in the air and over the finish line. Tinker Bell cheered, declaring Peter the winner. Mota pumped his fists in the air and cheered. Peter crowed, as he always did when he was pleased with himself.

Some would say that Peter cheated by flying instead of running in that last part of the race, but even if you told him so, he would not care, and neither did any of the others.

"Again! Again!" the three youngest boys pleaded.

"I don't see why not. But, give me a challenge this time! I know, why don't I carry Melody instead of Mota? Yes, that would be great fun." Peter smiled, pleased with his clever idea.

I giggled and waved my hands in front of me, trying to dismiss the idea. But then, something struck a cord. Peter had told all of the boys to call me 'Kino', my new name. But he had just called me 'Melody.' I quickly banished this thought, dismissing it as a slip of the tongue. "How about we each run the race on our own? Let's see who would win then." I giggled.

And as the six -oh- seven of us, counting Tinker Bell, were coming up with new ways to make my new game more fun, something strange was happening on the other side of Neverland.

A body had washed up on the shores were the Pirates had dropped anchor. He lay on the shore, gasping for breath, barely alive. He reached his left hand to drag him further up the shore, blood staining the white sand. The being made his way half way up the beach before collapsing once again, blood oozing from the stump were his left foot was. His breath became more labored as an iron hook dug into the sand.

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**Heehee, cliffhanger, huh? So how was the fight scene? I tried a little harder this time, but I don't know ... let me know what you think! XD Toriko seems to get the most screen time of the Lost Boys, ne? Niko is a close second. I'll try to put more of Luep and Mota in the next chapter! XD I noticed that I have a total of 54 hits on this story so far. I'm glad my story is getting read, but I would greatly appreciate it if you would take the time to review and tell me your thoughts on this story. It only takes a moment! XD R&R!**


	4. A Hunting We Will Go

**Hmmmm, not much to say about this chapter. It's kind of another bridge, one Kino must cross to become a man -er- Lost Boy -er- you get the idea, right? I myself am against hunting, but things are different in Neverland, ne? I wanted a little bit more ACTION in this story, that's a part of it, too. I hope you like it. I changed the format of things just a bit, since the ruler button ISN'T WORKING! -fume- XD Sorry 'bout that! Also, I upped the rating a bit, from K to K+ since this chapter has a little blood and a little violence. **

**_Disclaimer: Nothing 'cept Melody/ Kino, Toriko, Luep, Mota and Niko._**

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After playing our new game over and over again until we were all out of breath I had considered asking Peter about the whole name thing, but he had floated away before I got the chance. I wiped the sweat off of my forehead, flopping backwards onto my back as I desperately tried to catch my breath. All around me were the Lost Boys, all of them just as tuckered out as I was.

"Once." Luep panted

"More!" Mota pleaded.

Toriko shook his head, "Not on your life."

Niko crawled over to a pillow that had been thrown to the floor and flopped on top of it. "I'm tired, Kino" he whined.

"Take a nap." I yawned, sitting back up.

Niko immediately shot up, "No, I'm not sleepy." he shouted.

I shook my head. No matter where you live, kids are kids.

Peter, who had floated off after, yet again, being declared the winner had suddenly burst back into the room, a broad smile on his face. "Bears." he whispered.

"Bears!" the twins squealed, running off to a corner of the room.

A devilish smile spread across Toriko's face. It was becoming a trend. He walked over to the corner along with Luep and Mota.

Niko shot up, "Yay!" he squealed.

I looked up at Peter, his eyes were dancing with delight. "Bears?"

He looked down at me, "I found a whole group of bears roaming the forest around here. It is the perfect chance for your first hunting trip."

I cringed. I did not like the sound of that. "Hunting?" I asked in a small voice.

"Yeah, all the Lost Boys hunt." he grinned.

I forced a smile. This was not going to be fun. Peter led me over to the area that they kept their weapons and placed a bow in my hands. I clutched the wooden weapon as I stared uncomfortably at it. He then shoved a quiver of arrows at me, the other boys clamoring for their weapons. Mota held up a tomahawk, no doubt a gift from the Indians. Luep's weapon of choice was a long spear made of a thick tree branch, a sharpened stone tied to the end. Toriko tapped the sword at his side. I chuckled, who was he trying to impress?

Niko skipped over to my side, holding a small blow gun in his tiny hands, a leather pouch slung at his waist. "Are you excited about your first hunt, Kino?"

I stared wide-eyed at this little boy standing before me. He was ten years my junior and he had already been on a hunting trip, hunting wild animals ten times his size. I suddenly dropped down to my knees, wrapping my arms around him. I took a deep breath, backing up and giving Niko my brightest smile. If this small child could stick this out, then so could I.

"Let's go!" Peter shouted gleefully, flying out of the hideout. Each of the boys scrambled out through their individual exits. I had read many times that each tree used for an entry and an exit was specially suited for each boy, and I still had not received one. I followed Toriko, he being the closest to me in size. I squirmed through the tree, Toriko was very close to my size, but he was still smaller. I tumbled out of the exit onto the grass outside of the hideout. I scanned the area, searching for the boys.

"Melody." Peter whispered from behind a bush. He motioned for me to follow as he sneaked his way through the forest. I followed closely, quickly spotting the other boys as they followed. Tinker Bell rested on my shoulder. She had acted as some sort of guardian towards me since I had gotten here. She did not see me as much of a threat, and was serving as my extra eyes and ears while I traveled through this forest. She took pride in knowing more in an area like this than me. I tried to open up all my senses to my surroundings like a good hunter should, but I was much to distracted by the various thoughts running through my head.

_'What if I miss?'_

_'What if I hurt someone?'_

_'What if the animal attacks me?'_

**Peter would save me.**

_'What if he considered me being attacked fun?'_

**No, he would not do that.**

_'Why am I doing this?'_

**Because you can't say 'no' to Peter Pan.**

I shook my head, trying to shake these thoughts from my mind. "There." Peter whispered, pointing at a small clearing, a large grizzly bear hunched over something, growls erupting from its throat, the sickening crunch of bones cracking filling the air.

Niko pushed a small dart into his blow gun, raising it to his lips. With a great puff of air, the dart was sent flying through the air, landing square in the bear's rump. The bear let out a deafening roar of pain as it felt the pointed tip pierce its skin.

"Now!" Peter shouted. The dart had served as a distraction. The boys rushed the bear, their weapons held high in the air as the bellowed out war cries. Mota cleaved its right side with his tomahawk, Luep throwing his spear into its left.

The beast roared with pain, trying to shake off the weapons as it swung its paws wildly at the boys. Toriko swung his sword, slashing one of the bear's paws.

I stood behind the bush, my hands trembling with fear as I witnessed what was happening before me.

The bear swung his now bleeding paw, knocking Luep to the floor. Niko, who to my relief had stayed with me in our hiding place after firing that first dart, ran out to defend Luep against the advancing bear. Fear shot through my body like I had been struck my lighting. Without giving it a second thought, I shot out from behind the bush, softly pushing Niko back into it as I readied my bow. Like most girls my age from my era, I had almost no knowledge as to how to properly shoot an arrow but at that moment, I did not care. I let go of the arrow in my bow, the bear lashing out as I did so, knocking me backwards. The beast roared once and then, silence.

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(---.:. ADVeNTuRe AWaiTS! .:.---)

" ...no?" I heard a distant voice say.

I tried to open my eyes, a pain throbbing in the back of my head.

"Kino?"

I opened my eyes to see Luep leaning over me. "Kino!" he shouted, diving on top of me in a bear hug. Ugh, don't say bear ... I sat up, Luep still dangling from my neck. I rubbed the back of my head, already feeling the bump forming. "What happened?" I mumbled.

"You killed it." Toriko informed me.

"I what!" I shouted, instantly regretting the action as my head throbbed with pain once more.

Luep let go of me, sitting back and pointing to a lifeless heap on the ground. I slowly crawled over, a pool of blood had formed under it, a lone arrow sticking out from in between the bear's eyes. My arrow. The stench of blood was thick in the air and I suddenly felt sick. I sprung up, staggering over to a bush and emptied the contents of my stomach, which is a prettier way of saying I had up-chucked in the bush. I wiped my mouth and collapsed on the ground at a safe distance from the bush. I had killed the bear. I covered my eyes, feeling that if I looked at the dead beast before me again I would throw up a second time. I heard the tinkling of bells in my ear. Tinker Bell was talking to me, but I couldn't understand a word. I felt a small hand on my shoulder. I looked up to see Luep. He stood before me, bowed then got down on on knee, digging his spear into the ground for support.

"You killed the bear before it-" Luep shuddered, his voice shaking.

"It knocked you back into the tree and you stopped moving. We thought-" Mota's voice quivered as he spoke, the near loss of his twin still fresh in his mind.

Luep rested his head against the shaft. "Thank you." he whispered, fighting back tears.

Then it dawned on me. I had saved Luep's life. I had killed the bear for a reason. I smiled down at Luep. I rubbed my cheek, embarrassed at the little scene I had just had. I leaned my forehead against the shaft of his spear so I could look him in the eyes. "Your welcome."

Toriko walked over to the bear, throwing a smirk over his shoulder.

I instantly felt my face flush. What a brat! I bet he thought it was funny. And just when I was beginning to like him!

While I was plotting revenge, he gave me a nod of approval. Saving one of his comrades had earned me some sort of respect. He knelt down before it and began doing whatever it is you do after something is killed. I really did not want to know.

Luep and Mota looked over at Toriko as he began to work. They began to walk over to help him, but not before throwing their arms around me in another hug. I blushed, playfully shooing them away, a large grin plastered on my face.

Niko trotted off after them, humming a happy tune. I had almost lost it when I found out what I had done, but Niko, who was about four-years old, was unfazed by it. Neverland will never cease to amaze me.

I felt a hand on the top of my head. I looked up to see Peter smiling down at me. "Good job, it was a clean kill."

I forced a smile. I really wanted to forget about this little incident.

He gingerly placed his hands under my arms, lifting me to my feet. He pulled me over to the bear and handed me a sword.

I looked at the sword, then back at Peter. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

"Skin him." he made a motion with his hand, scraping it down his arm.

"Why?" I squeaked.

Peter's face scrunched up in thought. "I don't know. It's just what we do. When you kill an animal, you skin it and make a garment from its fur." he pointed at the Lost Boys. All of them, as I had noticed before, were decked out in various animal skins from head to toe.

I stared at Peter and considered asking him why _he _did not wear animal fur. I know for a fact he had killed many animals. But then, I remembered that he forbid the boys from dressing like him, which is most likely the reason the Lost Boys dressed in animal fur.

I put the tip of the sword to the animal's back, unsure of what to do. The boys stared at me expectantly as I stood there.

Peter reached out his hand, curling his fingers over mine as he swiftly skinned a portion of fur from the bear. He pointed the sword once again to repeat the action before I shouted, "No, that's enough. I'll make something of that."

Peter gave me a funny look. "Okay." he shrugged, picking the portion of fur from the ground and handing it to me. I gave him back the sword as I looked down at the fur, dried blood coating it. I tried to fight back the urge to vomit again. The boys continued with their work, skinning the rest of the fur off and slicing the flesh for food. I covered my nose, the stench of blood still fresh in the air, and spun around.

Tinker Bell ran her tiny fingers up and down the fur in my hands, telling me how nice it was. Peter shouted the meaning over his shoulder as he supervised the boys as they worked. I'm going to need to learn the Fairy language, it's too much trouble having Peter translate everything. I offered to give it to her a portion for her bed as a blanket once I washed it. She smiled and tinkled a thank you.

When the boys had finished they packed up the meat and the fur in large leaves as we made our way back to our hideout. I wandered off to the tiny stream I had encountered early today during my training session to clean the fur. I stooped down, dipping the fur in the stream, softly rubbing my fingers in it in an attempt to clean the blood off. When I had finally succeeded in picking of all of the crusted blood I picked it up, searching for a sunny patch of grass where I could let it dry. I laid it out on a stray leaf once I had found a suitable spot, plopping down next to it. I swiveled around, pulling an arrow out of my quiver, lifting the fur to eye-level. I cut the piece in half at a suitable length and width for Tinker Bell's bed. I laid the piece that would be used as a blanket back down on the leaf as I examined the remaining piece. "What could I use it for?" I mumbled to myself. As much as I thought that wearing animal fur was wrong, in a way, having this proof of my kill made me a true Lost Boy, well, Lost Person. I flipped it over in my hands, the piece was far to small for any regular garment. I laid the drying fur over my body in various places and styles, trying to discern the best way to wear my prize.

I reached into my pocket, pulling out the sewing needle I had stashed there before this all began. Thread, I needed thread, anything I could use to bind the two ends together would do. A leaf fluttered to my side from the tree I was lying under. I pulled the veins of the leaf out, using the strongest I could find for thread. It would not hold for long, but it would do until I could find something more suitable. I thread the veins through the needle and began to sew. I have expressed many times how much I dislike sewing, and you are about to discover why. I do not know how to use a thimble, and was not interested in learning how. I also did not posses nimble fingers, which often resulted in me receiving many pricks to my fingertips. But, for this particular occasion, I was willing to endure that. I raised my less than perfect work above my head so I could observe my shoddy workmanship in the sun. I slipped my new, furry armband up my arm, adjusting it to rest half-way up my forearm. I smiled, now I was official. I snatched up the extra piece to be used for Tinker Bell's blanket, it was finally fully dried. I trotted back to our hideout to see a leaf attached to the bark of a tree with an arrowhead. The shape of the letter 'K' was cut into the middle of the leaf. I approached the tree, letting my fingers graze the surface. I gave the bark a small push, the tree opening up and swallowing me. I fell head first onto a slide, surrounded by darkness. This felt oddly familiar as a patch of light appeared before me. I tumbled onto the ground of our hideout, the smiling faces of the three youngest boys in my face. It finally hit me, while I was gone, they had hollowed out a tree for me. I now had my own entrance to our hideout, one that fit me like a glove, no more squeezing through Toriko's anymore! I smiled, these boys sure do work fast.

"Welcome back." Peter grinned from across the room.

My smile widened. I was wrong before. _Now, _I was officially a Lost Boy. Er ... Person. I'll need to get used to that.

(---.:. ADVeNTuRe AWaiTS! .:.---)

Mr. Smee had been happily strolling across the beaches of Neverland, stopping ever once in a while to pick up a shell that had tickled his fancy. He chuckled contentedly when he had found one, tucking it away in a pouch he had brought along with it. As he continued walking, he heard a low moaning. He jumped, started by this sudden noise. He placed his hand on the handle of his cutlass, Johnny Corkscrew. He scanned the area, spotting a lifeless heap on the beach. He slowly and cautiously approached the heap, holding Johnny Corkscrew out in front of him. As he further inspected the heap on the sand, he noticed the sand beneath him was stained red with blood. He poked the heap with the tip of his cutlass.

Nothing.

He poked it again, a little more forcefully this time. The heap stirred, earning a shriek from Mr. Smee.

"Smee ..." the heap croaked, rolling over to face him.

Mr. Smee's face froze in a mixture of surprise and horror. "Cap'n?" he screeched.

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**Ooooh, and the plot thickens! XD Not really ... SOME PEOPLE already guessed it! XD But it was pretty obvious. The next chapter will have a little more on our dastardly villain. I was also wondering if you guys would like to help me out! Anyone have any good pirate names? I'll need a few, and it would help me a great deal if you could tell me some! XD Thankies! And how do you think the hunting scene was? Was it obvious I've never been hunting before? XD R&R!**


	5. Gut Feeling

**Not much to say about this one. I had it typed up for a while, but was too lazy to post it up. This chapter will have a bit more on our dastardly villain! XD Enjoy.**

**_Disclaimer: I do not claim any ownership over Peter Pan, Tinker Bell or the beautiful place of Never Land, Never Never Land, or, as it is called in this story, Neverland. I own Melody/ Kino, Toriko, Mota, Luep and Niko. That is all._**

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Luep grabbed my right arm while Mota grabbed my left, helping me up after I had oh-so gracefully fallen on my face after emerging from my new entrance to the hideout. After I had gotten to my feet, Peter walked over and smiled.

"Wasn't it a perfect fit? he asked.

I nodded, "It fit like a glove."

Peter grinned proudly, placing his hands on his hips.

I stretched my hands above my head, the pulsing pain slowly beginning to fade. I looked up through the canopy of leaves hiding a hole in the ceiling. I must have been out for a while when that bear knocked me out. Either that or fighting the bear had taken up more time than I thought for it was already dark out. I wandered over to the dining area, which was really just the place where we kept the food. I would probably have to make dinner soon, and I was completely tuckered out after my hunting trip. But those boys must be starving! I smiled, they did not want to bug me after my little episode. I guess they could be sweet when they wanted to.

I dug around in the storage space, discovering a stash of peanuts. I suddenly had an idea, scooping up some wild strawberries and dumping them in a bowl. The bowl was really just a hollowed out coconut, but it would work. It really amazed me how creative these boys were sometimes. I picked a large stick up off the ground a began pounding the berries, adding the nuts in once the berries had been crushed into a fruity paste. Once I had crushed the nuts, I slapped some of the paste onto pieces of bread I had found, a poor attempt at peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but it was good enough for these boys. I placed them on the leaf plates and plopped them on the table. "Hey, dinner!" I called, taking a bite out of my sandwich.

The boys flocked over to me, staring at the sandwiches. They looked up at me, obviously having never seen a sandwich.

"Eat it. It's good." I took another bite of my sandwich for emphasis.

Boys eat so quickly, do they even taste their food? The boys, having finished their meal, attempted to leave their plates on the table and go play.

"Hey! Rinse off your plates and stack them over here." I barked, pointing to the designated area. "I'm not your mommy." I added.

The boys, even Peter, picked up their plates and did as they we told.

I blew a strand of dirty blond hair out of my face, a smile on my face. Ah, the power ... I must not abuse it. I yawned, wondering when I could get the boys to go to bed. After all that had happened I just wanted to tell them their story and go to bed. I loafed around for a while, waiting for the moon to be visible through the canopy of leaves. The boys all passed the time differently. Niko scribbled on a stray piece of bark with a stick dipped in berry juice. Luep and Mota played leap frog, Niko soon joining in while Toriko sat in a corner, sharpening his sword. Peter sat in a large ornate chair, paying his pan flute. He was quite talented. Once the moon had crawled to a certain place in the sky I jumped from my place on the floor. "I'm going to bed." I yawned, making my way to my designated sleeping area.

The boys all dropped what they were doing. "But what about our story?" Mota asked.

I shrugged, my plan was working. "I guess I can tell you one story." I paused to yawn again, trying to convince them. "If you all go to bed right now, I can tell you a story."

The boys all looked at each other. They knew that since I was not their mother, i could not make them go to bed. They were torn between staying up later and hearing a bedtime story. The twins ran to the place where the bed was stored. Mota got up on Luep's shoulders, pulling down the tab to pull the bed down. Niko dove under the covers, followed by Mota and Luep. They all shot a glance at Toriko.

Toriko glared at them, then heaved a heavy sigh. "Tch." he clicked his tongue as he dropped himself on the bed.

I grinned, they fell for it. I pulled up a stool next to the bed and began story time. I began my version of 'Jack and the Beanstalk.' I had decided earlier that I would stick to the stories that I knew. Well, I did not really _know _them, at least not by heart. I picked the ones whose storyline was familiar enough so that I could make up the details along the way. Now, the only thing I really knew about this story was that it was about a poor boy and his mother who had planted magic beans. The beans grew into a huge beanstalk that Jack climbed. When he reached the top he found a giant that wanted to grind his bones for bread, how gross is that? Anyway, the giant had something really valuable, I think it was a golden harp. Jack stole it and escaped, making he and his mother very rich. I didn't really get that part, so I told the boys it was a magic goose that laid golden eggs and when the boy brought it home they sold the golden eggs for a lot of money. I mean, who doesn't want to buy a golden egg? When I finally got the boys to fall asleep, I walked to the back of the room. There Peter sat, in his overly ornate chair in the back of the room like he had the night before.

Peter smiled at me, scratching his red hair sleepily, then we retreated to our room. With my training session and he hunting trip, we had not really found the time, or will to do it. Meaning that we are lazy little buggers. I collapsed onto my bed, thoroughly exhausted.

"Melody?" Peter whispered.

"Yeah?"

"I get a special story again tonight, right?" he asked.

I rolled over, retrieving my harmonica from an indentation in the wall where I had stashed it the night before. "Of course, Peter." I played a different song this night. A simple one, but it had a sweet melody (There I go again!). It was a shorter song than the one I played the night before, which did not give Peter the chance to nod off this time.

"Good night, Melody." he yawned.

Now felt like as good a time as ever to ask him about that. "Pete?"

"Hmm?" he asked sleepily.

I was unsure how to approach the subject. "You told all the boys to call me 'Kino' because that's my new name as a part of your crew, right?"

"Right."

"Then, why do you still call me 'Melody'?"

Peter was silent for what felt like a lifetime. I sighed, assuming that he had fallen asleep before I was able to choke the question out.

"I don't know." he finally answered.

"Oh, okay." I yawned, we all do things for no good reason at all.

"It's just this feeling in my stomach." he continued. "I give all the Lost Boys new names because I don' want to go through the hassle of learning their real names. I don't think I could remember any one of their names even if I wanted to."

I stayed silent, having nothing to say in response to that.

He still had more to say. "But the feeling in my stomach says you are different. It tells me to call you 'Melody.'" he spoke that last sentence slowly, audible confused at this feeling.

My heart was beating so fervently that I thought that the Lost Boys in the other room could hear it. _"What is he talking about?" I_ wondered, the blood rushing to my face. I was so thankful for the fact that it was pitch dark in this room, for there was no way I could hide my red face if it were any brighter in here. "Oh, okay. That was all I wanted to know." I mumbled, pulling the covers over my head, vaguely wondering if Tinker Bell's new blanket was soft enough. "Good night!" I whispered from under the covers, his words racing through my head.

"Good night." he whispered back, soft snoring following it only moments later.

How wonderful it must be to live on feelings alone, no logic interfering. That was the way those in Neverland lived. "I envy you, Peter." I mumbled to myself, "After that, there's no way I'm getting to sleep." Damn hormones.

_**(---.:. ADVeNTuRe AWaiTS! .:.---)**_

On the other side of Neverland, a different tale was unfolding. In a lone pirate ship bobbing on the surface of a body of water something strange was happening. Mr. Smee boarded the pirate ship with a man not one of the men on board had ever met, but they all knew him from the horror stories told to them. The man hobbled beside Mr. Smee, his left leg was wrapped in a handkerchief, a significant of flesh and bone missing. Dirty black curls shielded his face from the prying eyes of those around him, his right hand tucked away in his sleeve. His left hand rested on Smee's shoulder, a make-shift crutch while he made his way to the Captain's quarters where Smee had resided all this time. The crew followed them, hushed whispers making their way throughout the crowd.

Smee barked orders to the cooks of the crew, the addressed hurrying to the kitchen, returning with piles and piles of fish and fruit. The placed it before the man, who looked as though he had not eaten a decent meal in months. The man calmly picked up a fork and began to eat. Any other man would have eaten with his hands, shoving food down his throat in a rabid, bug-eyes frenzy. The man took his time, chewing every bite and savoring the flavor. Once he had eaten his fill, he politely pushed the plate away, dabbing lightly at the corners of his mouth with a napkin.

The men all stared in awe at this man. After he had eaten, Smee ordered a bath to be drawn and the finest garments to be ready when the man was through.

When all the necessary procedures had been fulfilled, the man emerged from the quarters. His black curls were perfectly groomed and draped down past his shoulders in a waterfall of darkness, his face was freshly shaved, a pointy moustache gracing his upper lip. He donned the finest garments in a brilliant red, pants in perfect condition. Replacing the stump on his left leg was a beautifully handcrafted peg leg, whittled with the utmost care. Pale blue eyes examined the crew standing before him.

Even the biggest and strongest of men quaked in fear when those icy eyes lingered on him for but a moment before passing on over to the next man. He lifted his right arm, a hook replacing his hand. He used the tip of the hook to twirl his moustache in a humorous fashion, but not a single man even cracked a smile.

"Hook." a single man whispered.

Hook walked back and forth on the deck, his leather boot making a soft _'thump' _every time it hit the wood. "Enough." the man barked, startling the crew. "Back to your posts."

The men scrambled to their designated spots, not daring to look in the direction of the demon that is Hook. A demon he truly must be, for having survived the encounter with the great crocodile, for lasting so long without food or fresh water, for such a calm demeanor when he was given food, not once losing his composure. That is, until ...

_Tick. Tick. Tick_

The man nearly jumped out of his skin. "What is that!" he cried.

One man responded by disappearing into the crew's sleeping quarters and returning with a small clock. "It is this, nothing but a clock." he chuckled.

This man was punished for his bravery for, without hesitation, Hook reached out his hand for a pistol, relinquishing the man of his life. "The clocks." Hook hissed. "Get rid of them all."

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**And there you have it! Tell me your thoughts, ways I can improve, things you'd like to see, I'll listen to 'em all! All you have to do is R&R! XD**


	6. Like the Moon in the Sky

**Now this chapter, well ... I re-wrote it, I had it ready before now, but I really wanted two scenes added in. I wanted a certain part to sort of show Kino's dedication to the boys, for a woman's hair is her life! XD I heard that somewhere. The other scene is in because I wanted it in! XD**

**_Disclaimer: We've been through this before, you remember what I do and do not own._**

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The men stood planted to their spots on the deck, unable to move.

"Well!" Hook shouted, jolting the men out of their spots.

The crew all scrambled about the ship, retrieving every pocket watch, wrist watch, wall clock and alarm clock aboard the ship, placing them in a pile at the Captain's feet. A fatal mistake for yet another pirate.

Hook stood stiff-legged, his eyes wild and fierce. "You fools!" he spat, raising his hook menacingly. "Get them away from me!" he screeched, his whole body twitching with every tick of the clocks.

"You heard him! Get rid of these clocks. I don't care how you do it, just get it done." Smee barked.

The pirates flinched, then ran to the clocks, scooping up arm fulls and disappearing.

Hook's heart rate soon slowed to a normal rate as the pile of ticking menaces dwindled. Once the last clock had disappeared, Hook had regained his cool composure. "Now then," he continued, pacing back and forth in front of the men, his wooden peg clacking against the floorboards, "what are you still doing here?" he asked. "Get back to work!" he he threw his arm over his shoulder, dismissing them.

Smee followed them, attempting to sneak away from his Captain.

"Mr. Smee?" Hook called, causing Mr. Smee to flinch.

"Y-yes, Cap'n?" he answered, his voice cracking.

"Come." he ordered, disappearing into the Captain's Quarters.

Smee tried to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat. This would not go well. He scurried after the Captain, trying to ignore the looks of pity he was receiving from the crew.

Hook sauntered over to a large desk, settling himself down as he examined the contents of the drawers. He looked on in disgust as he pulled an apple core out of the drawer, tossing it aside. "Tell me, " Hook began, causing a very nervous Mr. Smee to nearly jump out of his skin, "what has happened during my absence?"

"N-nothing much, sir." Smee paused, trying to steady his voice. "Nothing worth calling attention to, sir."

Hook began to twirl his moustache absent-mindedly, "Nothing?"

"Nothing." Smee repeated.

"And the abomination?"

Mr. Smee flinched, wishing he were any where but here, "N-nothing has ch-changed." he squeaked, suddenly becoming engrossed in the detail of the floor boards beneath him.

Hook's hook stopped twirling, "I see." he whispered, "How is our young Peter?"

"The last time I saw him he was flying over the islands with an unidentified person. He had long hair, a strange looking fellow."

"Hm, interesting." Captain Hook raised himself from his seat. "I would like to take a stroll in the forest in a few days, I have not done so in such a long time."

**__**

(---.:. ADVeNTuRe AWaiTS! .:.---)

I awoke to another splash of water in my face. I rolled out of bed, hitting my head on the wall. "Ow." I whined, sitting up to see Toriko snicker.

"Time for your training." he smirked.

I began to rub the sleep out of my eyes, slowly rising to my feet. "Okay, I'm coming." I yawned, taking up a short sword as I followed Toriko outside, through my own exit. The thought brought a smile to my face, which instantly disappeared once I remembered another event that had taken place the day before. What did Peter mean by what he said yesterday? I had been up all night, unable to push his words from my mind.

_'But the feeling in my stomach says you are different. It tells me to call you 'Melody''_

"Hey, space cadet!" Toriko yelled, throwing a dirt clod at my face. I ducked, the dirt just barely missing me. I glared at him, giving a quick bow before unsheathing my weapon and charging at him.

He grinned as the ground beneath me lurched, swallowing me up. I screamed as I landed with a '_thud' _at the bottom of a hole.

Toriko burst into laughter, "Lesson two: Be aware of your surroundings." he managed to choke out between laughs.

"That was a dirty trick!" I spat.

"Hey, my job is to teach you to fight pirates. What makes you think that a pirate won't try and pull a trick like this." he asked, the giggles dying down.

I shut my mouth, he had a point. "Okay, fine, but at least help me out!"

"Would a pirate help you out?" he asked me.

"Help me out, Toriko!" I said through gritted teeth. His attitude wasn't cute anymore.

"Nah, I think I'm going to get a snack. Catch you later." I heard the dirt crunch as he walked away.

"TORIKO!" I howled. "Come back here!"

No answer.

"Brat!" I flopped down on the ground. How am I going to get myself out of this mess? I blew a puff of breath to knock my hair out of my face. I stood up and tried to estimate how far up I would have to climb. It was about four feet above my head. That rat, how in the world did Toriko manage to dig this? No matter how upset at him I was, I had to admit I was impressed. I dug my fingers into the wall, kicking my feet into the wall I tried to hoist myself further up the wall. I cringed as I felt the grit of dirt crawl under my fingernails. I pulled my hand out, digging it in further up the wall. After repeating this process, I was able to throw myself over the edge. My knees were covered in a thick layer of grime, my elbows had been scratched up from dragging them across the dirt and I had a sickening amount of dirt under my fingernails. I flipped my head back, trying to get my mid-back length hair out of my face. I rose to my feet and heaved a mighty sigh. Toriko was going to get it! I stomped over to the hideout, slipping through my entrance and tumbling to the floor.

Toriko looked up at me. He turned his head, his hand flying to his mouth. I could hear his stifled giggles.

I scowled at him, stomping over to him. "To-ri-ko!" I growled. I almost had him too, but I felt a sharp tug at my hair. I turned to see Peter holding a handful of my hair.

"It's too long."

"Wha?"

"Your hair is too long, it was getting in the way yesterday when we went hunting. That could be very dangerous." he told me, reaching for his dagger.

"What are you doing, Peter?" I asked suspiciously.

"I'm going to do you a favor and cut it for you, now sit down." he slightly tugged on my hair, pushing me down onto a stool. He gripped a handful of my hair, holding his dagger in the other. With one quick motion, probably done to minimize the pain, he was done. He dropped my detached hair on the floor carelessly as my hands flew up to my head. He had cut it into a choppy style slightly longer than a bob. I ran m y fingers through it, already missing the length. Bu, he was right, my hair only got in the way.

"Melody." Peter called, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Can we have breakfast now?"

"Yeah, sure, just let me wash my hands." I shot a glare at Toriko, adding a smirk.

He rubbed the back of his neck, he had forgotten that I was to prepare the food that day, and what a day it was! I had made breakfast, lunch and dinner, and Toriko refused to eat a single bite, preparing his own food instead. What made it even sweeter to me was that I had done nothing to his food, so instead of eating what I had prepared, he had to eat bear jerky, which is as disgusting as it sounds.

The day was uneventful, so I won't bore you with the details. The boys took me to Marooner's Rock today, which was very beautiful. Niko and I splashed in the water while Mota and Luep attempted to fish. They caught a few good sized fish, which is what I served for dinner, in case you were wondering. Take my advice, if you are going to prepare a fish for cooking, find a beautiful little boy like Luep to do it for you. Toriko, trying to be stoic as always, was failing miserably at trying to look cool. Peter quietly snoozed in the corner, that boy could be so lazy sometimes. Although, when we got home is when the real adventure started.

I went through the motions as I always did, I told '_Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'_ today. There was not much I could change about this one, so I integrated a bit of '_Sleeping Beauty' _into it, so the boys got a taste of action.

Then, there was Peter, half-asleep in his special chair, as always. He yawned and led me to our room. We had never gotten around to giving me a proper room, as I said before, Peter was a bit of a lazy boy. He crawled into his bed and I flopped onto my make-shift sleeping bag. I could not bring myself to roll under the covers, for I was covered in a thin layer of salt water after washing off the grime. I pulled out my harmonica, playing my own special rendition of the crowd favorite, _'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.'_ I played the song slowly, trying my hardest not to fall asleep before finishing my song. Then, I heard it. Whimpering, mumbling ... crying. I rolled over to see Peter's sleeping form twitching, small cries erupting from his throat.

I jumped up, remembering this from the book. I slowly made my way over to him. I slowly touched his forehead, his neck craning to my touch. I quickly withdrew my hand, and the cries continued. What was Peter's bad dream? I can't remember anymore. What did Wendy do. That thought left a bad taste in my mouth. I did not need to do everything Wendy did.

Peter whimpered again, a small tear curling down his cheek. I sighed, darn you, Peter! I silently sat down on the corner of his bed, looking down at him. I moved my arms towards him, trying to steady the shaking. I gently pulled his head onto my lap, softly stroking his hair. I wanted to tell him something, anything to rid him of his fear. But, just my luck, I could not think of a single thing to say. So, instead, I hummed. I hummed song after song, running my fingers through his hair.

His whimpers began to quiet, the tears stopped falling, he finally was able to calm down. I tried to move him off of my lap, but the smallest gasp erupted fro him. I could not just leave him to his nightmares. I was able to move him so I could lean against the wall, I curled his auburn hair around my fingers, muttering a few stanzas of poetry, little quotes I had memorized over the years, anything that sounded like it could be soothing. His breathing soon steadied itself, and I was able to steady mine. I leaned my head against the wall, closing my eyes as I muttered one last quote, my fingers becoming still as I drifted to sleep.

"Like the moon in the sky, I'll never leave your side."

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**I couldn't resist! Sorry if you didn't like the fluff-y part. That quote is one of my favorites! R&R!**


	7. Misleading Butterfly

**Dum-dee-dum ... Yes ... I really liked this chapter! XD I was mean to Toriko! At first, I really like Niko, but Toriko is quickly becoming my favorite Lost Boy! Hope you like this chapter, I enjoyed writing it! He's your first peek into the next story arc. That's what you call it, ya? XD Please ignore the crappy chapter title. I could not think of a better one, I like to try and hint at things in the chapter titles ... I didn't know what hint at! XD**

**_Disclaimer: Ya think I should put one in the summary or something? I'm tired of writing this thing! I don't own anything that is not Melody/ Kino, Toriko, Mota, Luep and Niko._**

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The sun shone in through the window, waking me from my slumber. My eyes fluttered open, instantly rocketing down to the boy lying in my lap. A small smile played on my lips, he looked so peaceful. I slowly slipped from underneath him, crawling into my bed before Toriko could come in. And not a moment to soon, either, for as soon as I had crawled into my bed, Toriko had come in with a bucket of water, dumping it onto my head.

"Toriko!" I hissed, trying my hardest not to wake Peter.

Toriko snickered, waving his hand over his shoulder, "Lesson-time, Kino." he sang, immensely pleased with himself.

I grit my teeth, snatching up my short sword as I had done the day before, and following him up to our usual training spot. I tried to wring the water out of my hair, but it was too short for that. I softly touched my hair, instantly missing the length again. But, I liked it now, it was so much more low-maintenance. I shot a glance at Toriko, who was giggling after seeing me fiddle with my hair.

I stood up to my full height, it was a measly two inches above him, but it did make me feel a little more superior. I held my sword out, pointing it towards him, giving a quick bow.

He did the same, the ever-present smirk plastered on his face.

Tinker Bell, in her place as referee, waved her hand, tinkling a 'Begin.'

Toriko wasted no time, lunging at me, heaving a might swipe of his sword.

I jumped to the side, narrowly missing his sword. I was able to catch him off guard, taking full advantage as I swung my sword at him.

Toriko yelped, dropping to the floor and rolling under my legs. I gasped, my mind desperately trying to keep up with Toriko's movements. Toriko's arms snaked out from behind me, hooking around my arms and gripping my shoulders.

"Gotcha." he sang.

In one swift movement I lunged forward, sending Toriko flying over my head. He crashed into a tree, bottom over head in a very humorous position. I quickly tucked my short sword into its sheath, which was slung around my hips, and ran over to him. I grabbed him by his ankles and lifted him up. He was quite the heavy boy, for I was only able to lift him a few inches off of the ground. I quickly threw him up, earning a terrified scream as I grasped his shins. I had thrown him up fro two reasons: 1.) To get a better grip on him and 2.) I secretly wanted him to wet his pants. Putting all my weight into one motion, I was barely able to throw him over my shoulder. His weight greatly affecting my sense of balance, weighing down my right side. I had often played this game while wrestling with a boy a while back, when we were very young, but of course, he weighed much less. Who was it?

I was snapped out of my thoughts by the banging of Toriko's fists against my shoulder and the scream he was emitting. This sudden rapid motion caused me to completely lose my balance, resulting in me toppling over, Toriko and all. The end result was me whining about hitting my head on the ground and Toriko turning as red as a tomato. The way we had fallen was very humorous indeed. It was funny to me, at least. Toriko had fallen on top of me, falling face first into a ... erm ... forbidden chest area. I am a bit under developed, but Toriko screamed once again upon realization of were he had just involuntarily ventured. I had felt a bit violated, but the fact that he was younger and was totally freaking out softened the blow. I heard the tinkling of laughter behind me. I turned my head to see Tinker Bell rolling around on the stump she had been sitting on, clutching her stomach as she laughed. I grinned, casting a glance at Toriko, who at the moment was sitting as far away from me as possible, his face red.

"That's enough for today." he squeaked.

I covered my mouth to stifle a giggle. Ah, the power, I must not abuse it. That's what he gets for that bucket of water over my head.

"Y-You won't ... tell anybody about this ... right?" he mumbled, avoiding eye-contact, his face turning a new shade of red.

When she heard this, Tinker Bell began to laugh even harder.

"Can it, Tink!" Toriko barked, a deeper red overtook his handsome little face.

I grinned, "Tell you what, you make breakfast today," I stopped, revising my statement, "No, if you make breakfast _and _lunch today, I'll forget this little incident ever happened. In fact, I'll tell them you won."

"I think I won regardless." he grumbled.

"Oh, I doubt that." I giggled.

"Whatever." he mumbled, rising to his feet and disappearing into our hideout.

Tinker Bell gave me a nod of approval before disappearing after him.

I smiled, quite pleased with myself. Not for what I did to Toriko, of course. That was quite nasty. I was proud because I felt that Tinker Bell liked me far more than she liked Wendy. Well, that and the fact that for a moment I was able to wipe that smug smirk off of that brat's face. I rose to my feet, stretching my arms above my head. We had finished our training session fairly early today.

I looked out into the forest, witnessing the prettiest butterfly I had ever seen fly right passed me and in the opposite direction of our hideout. I patted my short sword at my side. Surely the boys wouldn't mind if I went out on a little exploration of my own. I decided to follow my childish instincts and follow the butterfly through the forest, every once in a while slashing at a tree truck to leave a trail for me to follow later on. I had followed the butterfly for what felt like decades, entranced by the vibrant colors of red and gold. Then, the butterfly abruptly stopped, falling to the ground with a 'flif.' I panicked, dropping to the floor in front of the delicate little creature. I lowered my face to the small thing, closely examining the intricate patterns on its vibrant red wings. I lightly poked the insect with my little finger.

Nothing.

I stared at it for the longest time, baffled as to what could have caused it to stop so abruptly. I softly turned it over with my finger, trying to be as gentle as possible. I stared long and hard at the insect. Its legs weren't all curled up, so I could venture a guess that it wasn't dead. I turned it over again, studying the patterns on its wings.

They were the strangest I had ever seen. The bottom two of the four wings held pale blue markings, a flash of red running though the blue orbs. The markings of the two larger wings were even more peculiar. I carefully traced the golden pattern with my finger.

_A spiral? No._

_A hook._

Then, I heard it. It was no louder than a twig falling to the ground, but it rang clearly in my ears. Such a strange sound it was, it sounded like a boot hitting the ground, followed by a stiff sound, like that of a stick. I scooped the butterfly up in my hands, holding it up to my chest as the sound grew louder with each passing second.

_Doof. Clack. Doof. Clack._

The butterfly twitched in my hands, causing my head to whip downward. I peered at the small creature. It twittered for a moment, then ceased. My shoulders sagged, poor thing.

_DOOF. CLACK._

It was even louder. I tried to ignore it, dismissing it as Toriko trying to get me back. That is, until I saw the shadow forming over me. It was far to big to be Toriko's five feet and two inches, even too big to be Peter's roughly 5 foot seven. I slowly looked up, my grey eyes meeting with those of ice blue. I froze, completely hypnotized by those eyes. They held such a strange feeling behind them, like the calm before the storm, like a back-draft waiting to happen, like ... like staring death straight in the eye.

"Well, what do we have here?" he grinned maliciously.

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**_DUN DUN DUN!_ Another cliff-hanger! I'm a meanie, ne? XD I have the next chapter written up already, a little tweaking is needed, but that's all. You'll get it soon if you review!**


	8. Seize

**Ummm ... not too much to say about this one ... I think I've been saying that too often. I think Toriko has quite a big role! I love writing his character! Peter has a bigger role in this one ... not a much bigger one, though. But don't worry, smilee5888, the _next _chapter will feature him more! I'm contemplating writing the whole first half of the chapter in his perspective. There's your spoiler! Heehee, on to the chapter!**

**_Disclaimer: Ah ... my knees have been turned into hamburger meat because I was horsing around on concrete, I'm _not _looking forward to the ugly scars, the guy I really like has a massive crush on my good friend and pus is currently dripping out of the afformentioned wounds. Not very happy, ne? But I got three reviews in one day! That's a record for this story! I'd like to thank you blessed souls, you made my crappy week way better! I only own Melody/ Kino, Toriko, Mota, Luep and Niko. I'd like to thank you again, those reviews make my day! Now, excuse me while I pour hydrogene peroxide on my hamburger knees and try not to cry! XD_**

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"Well, what do we have here?" he grinned maliciously.

I froze, unable to move under his hypnotizing gaze.

He looked down at me, "What is your name, little one?'' he asked, the malice in his eyes disappearing.

I stared into those pale blue eyes when suddenly, something dawned on me. I sneaked a quick glance at his right hand. It was a hook. I had never met this man, but I knew exactly who he was. "Captain Jas. Hook." I whispered.

"That's right, what a clever boy you are." he smiled.

I reached for my short sword, resting my hand on the hilt. "You're ... You're not supposed to be here." I tried desperately to keep my voice steady.

"Ah, so you've heard of my encounter with that wretched crocodile. Well, let's just say I made a little wager to get out of that sticky situation."

I did not care to hear his reason, I pulled my short sword out of the sheath, slashing at his side in one swift movement. The moment my weapon had hit his flesh, I felt a powerful force surge through my entire body. I let out a yelp, withdrawing my blade. I looked to his side where my sword had slashed him. I expected to see blood gushing out of the wound, but, instead there was a gooey black liquid dripping out of the wound and landing on the ground with a '_plop.' _I looked up at him, "What are you?" I squeaked.

The corners of the Hook's mouth curved into a sneer, "Feisty little one, aren't you? What a bother." he reached out his left hand and grasped my chin, turning it at a very painful angle. He closely examined my face, "You're a girl." he gasped. An evil grin crawled to his face. "How very interesting."

**__**

(---.:. ADVeNTuRe AWaiTS! .:.---)

"Kino!" Niko cried, running around the hideout. "Where are you?"

"She has been gone ..." Luep mumbled.

"For a long time." Mota finished.

Toriko rubbed his face nervously.

"She never came back. Do you know where she went after your training session, Toriko?" Peter asked, his leg casually hanging over the arm of his chair.

Toriko shook his head. "No, she just took off." he mumbled.

Peter yawned, "Oh well, she'll come back sooner or later." He shot a glance at the boys, "I'm hungry." he announced.

Toriko popped up, remembering his agreement, "I'll make it." he quietly made his way to the kitchen. He fumbled around with some ingredients, slapping together some food and calling it 'lunch.' He plopped it down on the table, calling the boys over.

Peter plopped down in the chair at the head of the table, poking at the food before him. "What is this?" he asked, wrinkling his nose in distaste.

"It's food." Toriko mumbled, his face turning red. Of all the things that hurt him in the world of Neverland, Peter's disappointment stung the most.

Peter picked an piece of mystery food up and gingerly placed it in his mouth. He chewed and swallowed, a face of disgust on his face. "Yuck. Nice try." he groaned, taking a swig of water to wash the taste out. "Tink!" Peter called.

Tinker Bell flew into the room, landing delicately on a mushroom on Peter's plate. 'Yes?' she asked in her fairy language.

"Go find Melody for me." he threw his head in the direction of the forest outside, "That's the only way we'll get a decent meal around here."

Toriko lowered his head in shame. "I'll go, too." he mumbled.

Peter shrugged, "Fine."

Toriko exited the hideout, closely followed by Tinker Bell. He shuffled through the forest, following slashes made in tree bark with a blade that made no sense, occasionally calling out 'Kino!' He came to a small clearing, deciding to take a quick pit stop. He sat down, resting his arms on his knees an his head on his arms. He heaved a great sigh, Tinker Bell landing on his shoulder.

"Where is that weirdo?" he mumbled, still bitter from their earlier encounter. And then, he saw it. On the ground a few feet away from him was a steaming pile of black goop. He slowly rose to his feet, Tinker Bell gripping his shoulder with her tiny hands, leaning over to get a better look at the goop. Toriko squatted down in front of the goop, staring long and hard at it. He took a quick whiff of the fumes, only to feel light-headed and nearly topple over. He reached his hand out to grasp a stick, attempting to poke the black goop. The moment the stick touched it, the tip began to sizzle, pieces falling off in blackened clumps. Toriko dropped the stick, watching it slowly decompose right before his eyes. His eyes widened, "What in the world is this stuff?"

Tinker Bell shook her head, equally confused, when something caught her eye. She fluttered off of Toriko's shoulder and landed several inches away from the goop. She reached out her tiny hands, picking up a short strand of hair. She gasped, realizing the only thing this could be. She sped over to Toriko, quickly tinkling an explanation.

Toriko held the strand of hair in between his fingertips, closely examining it. It was just the right shade of blond. He sighed, "Stupid girl!" he groaned. "What did you get yourself into?" He heaved a heavy sigh, taking note of his surroundings before taking off in the direction of the trail of goo.

**__**

(---.:. ADVeNTuRe AWaiTS! .:.---)

"Let me go!" I screamed, beating on Captain Hook's shoulders, flailing my legs in hopes of kicking him in the face.

"Now, now, little one, I do not think it would be wise for you to continue doing that." Hook chided, his voice laced with acid.

I responded in kicking even harder, "Let me go, you old Codfish!" I screamed.

Hook's grip on my back tightened, his fingernails digging into my skin. He stopped, slowly lowering me to the ground. He gripped my wrist with his left hand, cutting off the circulation. I yelped, my wrist beginning to pulse. He held up his hook, placing it atop the scab on my right cheek, the one I had received from my first training session with Toriko. I looked up at him. His eyes were burning with an amount of hatred only one man could posses. "I asked you to stop." he ran his hook along the scab, re-opening it, fresh blood beginning to seep out.

I froze, the new pain stinging my cheek.

"That's a good girl." he tugged my wrist, a new pain shooting up my arm. "Come along now."

"No!" I shouted, squirming around, trying to release myself of his vice-like grip.

"Why must you be so difficult?" he sighed, he pierced the fabric of my t-shirt, releasing my wrist. I attempted to flee, but I did not even make two feet. Hook stiffened his left hand, bringing it down on my neck, hitting a pressure point. Then, everything went black.

**__**

(---.:. ADVeNTuRe AWaiTS! .:.---)

Toriko had followed the trail as far as it went. He looked around.

Nothing.

"No!" he heard a voice scream.

Toriko bounded over to the direction the sound was coming from, stopping in his tracks at what he saw.

Like everyone on this island, he had forgotten the face of the demon of Neverland, but the flash of those eyes instantly reminded him. He watched as the man brought his hand down on Kino, her body falling limp as he threw her over his shoulder with a surprising amount of ease.

Toriko stood frozen with fear, when something clicked in his mind. "I have to tell Peter." he whispered to himself, taking off in the direction from where he came, Tinker Bell flying closely behind. He ran with all his might, the echos of his pounding feet bouncing through the forest. Toriko bounded through bushes and through tree branches, gaining a collection of scrapes on his arms and leaves in his hair. He arrived at the hideout at the base of the great tree, wasting no time as he dove through his special entrance. He tumbled on the floor, losing the grace he had always tried so hard to hold. He jumped up and ran over to Peter. "She ... He ... they ..." Toriko stuttered, waving his hands wildly, totally losing the cool composure he tried to be famous for.

"Slow down, Toriko. What's the matter with you?" Peter made a face.

"He's got her, Peter!" he cried.

"Who's got her?"

Tinker Bell began to tinkle wildly, trying to explain what had happened.

"Hook! He has her! He's kidnapped her!" Toriko shouted.

Peter narrowed his eyes, "What do you mean Hook has her? I killed that old Codfish."

Toriko shook his head, "It was him! No one on this island could have those eyes."

"You're seeing things, Toriko. I think you should stop eating those mushrooms behind the tree." Peter was not one who liked to be told he was wrong.

"It was him!" Toriko shouted, his eyes flashing with frustration. "He ... he hit her neck, she ... I think he really hurt her. Hook or not, someone has got her." the back of Toriko's throat tightened, "I think he's going to hurt her again. I don't think he'll give her back."

Peter stared hard at Toriko, "He hit her?"

Toriko bobbed his head, "On her neck." he tapped at a pressure point, "She knocked out. I'm tellin' ya, Peter, she's in big trouble."

"Where is he?" Peter growled, taking up his dagger.

**----------------------------------------------------------------------**

**How'd you like it? The next chapter should be up shortly. It'll have Peter in it more. I'd also like to thank Raha. I'm glad you like my rendition of Peter! I stress about making him in character enough! Sare, thanks for the review! I was too lazy to write the scene and I plan on doing something similar later ... oops ... another spoiler! XD**

**I'd like to know if you guys know any pirate names! I'll need some soon! My school is heavily project based, so I do not have much time to spare! XD And, I'd like to let you know -pokes Sare- If you review, updates come much quicker! I can usually write a chapter a weekend! More if I have time! I changed the ending of this chapter three times, I hope you like what I came out with! I wrote a lot in author's notes this time, thankies for reading them!**


	9. Trouble

**This chapter is a bit different from the others. This chapter is the first chapter to have not be told through Melody/ Kino's eyes. The first two segments are told in third-person. The last is told from the perspective of a new character, but I shan't give too much away. Just to let you know, (s)he is mine! XD This chapter was put up in honor of National Pirate Day!**

**_Disclaimer: I own only Melody/ Kino, Toriko, Luep, Mota, Niko and the special surprise at the end ((still no hints! ))_**

* * *

**A/N: YAY! THE DIVIDER'S WORKING!**

* * *

Peter quickly made his way through the forest, Toriko following closely behind. The other three were trailing behind the duo. Peter held his dagger out in front of him, cautiously looking this way and that way, his jaw clenched. "Where is he?" he hissed, turning to Toriko. 

Toriko sped up, "This way." he mumbled, taking many twists and turns as he tried to get to the meadow.

"Where are we going?" Niko called out.

"Quiet!" Peter shouted.

Niko shut his mouth, knowing better than to talk back to Peter, especially when he was in a mood like this.

"Hold on." Toriko stopped abruptly, Mota, Luep and Niko crashing into him. "Back off!" he barked.

"What's the hold up?" Peter asked impatiently.

"I want you to look at this." Toriko said, squatting down and motioning for Peter to come see.

"What is it?" Peter asked, he was a never a very patient boy. He squatted down next to Toriko, shoving auburn hair from his face.

The three younger boys all crowded around the two, peeking over their shoulders, trying to get a glimpse of what was so important.

"Look at this." Toriko commanded, pointing at the black goop that he had encountered earlier.

Peter stared long and hard at the substance. "What is this?" he asked, holding out his hands to touch the goop.

"Don't touch it!" Toriko shouted, slapping Peter's hand away.

Peter shot Toriko a look of warning. This had not pleased him.

"I'm sorry." Toriko quickly apologized, his face turning red. "This stuff is dangerous, it burns anything it touches."

Peter tossed a glance at the goop, "That is very strange."

"Captain! Look at this!" Mota trotted over, holding something in his hands.

"What is it?"

Mota held out his hands, a limp butterfly lying in his palms.

Peter's eyes widened as he snatched up the butterfly, holding it out in front of him by its wings. His eyes narrowed as he studied the markings. He gasped, throwing the butterfly to the floor.

"Hey, what'd you do that for?" Mota shouted.

Peter spit at the butterfly, the insect bursting into a puff of purple smoke before it hit the ground. Peter's face twisted into an expression of disgust. "What is this doing in Neverland."

Niko looked up at him, "What's in Neverland?" he asked.

"Black Magic." he spat, making a face like he had just tasted something bitter. "Who would bring this to Neverland?"

"This is where I found some of Kino's hair." Toriko said solemnly. "Whoever did this has her."

Peter clenched his fists at his side, "Let's go." he growled, taking a few steps before pushing off against the ground, launching himself into the air.

Tinker Bell, who had been quiet until now, flew around the four boys, lightly dusting them with dust. They rocketed into the air, following Peter across the sky.

Peter scanned the area, fervently searching for any movement in the forest below. He swooped down lower, the treetops inches away from his face. He growled, "I can't see anything. The greenery is too thick." He swooped down farther, doing a little tumble and landing gracefully on his feet.

Toriko swooped down next to him. "What are you waiting for?" Toriko said impatiently.

Luep landed on the ground with a '_thud', _Mota landing oh-so gracefully on top of his twin brother. "Hey!" Luep screamed, tackling his brother, swinging his fists.

Mota swung right back, the two becoming a little ball of dust, fists, feet and screams.

"Don't fight!" Niko cried, trying to approach the twins.

"That's enough!" Peter shouted.

Luep and Mota froze, Luep was in mid swing and Mota still had a handful of his brother's hair.

"Let's go." he commanded, taking off in the direction of the forest.

_**(---.:. ADVeNTuRe AWaiTS! .:.---)**_

Captain Hook carried the girl through the forest with a surprising amount of ease. He had hoisted her up on his shoulder, draping her over like a towel, and she had not moved an inch. "Perhaps I struck her too harshly." Hook mused, "I surely hope not, for she is of no use to me dead." he shrugged his shoulders, the girl shifting slightly. "No matter."

He strolled through the forest at a leisurely pace, finally arriving at the water's edge. He walked along the shoreline, stopping at a certain point and dipping the toe of his boot in the water. He smiled to himself, just the right spot. He stepped on the water, boot, then peg. He had found a sand bar leading to his ship, but the buffoons on that ship saw it as magic. He hoisted himself up upon the deck effortlessly, never once did he shift the form of the unconscious girl.

"Smee." he called, the older man scrambling to his side.

"Y-yes, Cap'n?" he asked.

"Prepare the holding quarters, we have a new ... guest." he instructed, rolling his shoulders, making the lifeless form shift once again.

"Right away, Sir." Smee ran off to the holding quarters.

Hook sighed, dabbing at his forehead with a handkerchief, "What a quest, I seem to have worked up a sweat." he mused, tucking the handkerchief away in his coat.

"All ready, Captain." Smee reported, breathing heavily after the hasty clean-up.

"Excellent." Hook's mouth curved into a creepy half-smile. He sauntered off towards the holding quarters, a small room above the lowest deck of the ship.

The floors were covered with molded hay, bails of it stacked up against the walls. The floor was littered with hay, as well, although this hay had a fresher scent to it.

"Good night, little one." he cooed mockingly as he tossed the girl across the room.

The girl's form landed on a bail of hay, tumbling off of it and onto the hay of the floor. The girl remained still.

"Hmm, quite peculiar." Hook rubbed his chin with his left hand, "I was sure that she would awake with fright." Hook sighed, once again tossing a 'No matter.' as he strolled out of the room with elegance, as always. He slammed the door behind him, chains rattling as he clicked a padlock onto the door.

Unbeknown-st to Hook, the clanking of chains had awakened an unknown resident of the ship.

_**(---.:. ADVeNTuRe AWaiTS! .:.---)**_

I awoke to a clanking of chains from above me. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, what inconsiderate being would wake me so early. I looked up through the criss-crossing of wooden beams, dusk was at hand. I yawned, stretching my hands over my head. _'I suppose I should eat.'_ I mused, standing to my feet as I floated about the lowest deck of the ship. I dove into a small crate, retrieving my stash of berries. I took a berry in my hands, it was the size of a coconut. It was not that size in reality, but in comparison to my size, it might as well have been.

I sunk my teeth into the ripe berry, the juices dripping down my chin. I wiped my face with one of my hands, succeeding in only smearing the juices. I shrugged, it did not matter much as long as I did not drip on my clothes, a quite fetching ensemble made of tiny leaves. I shoveled the last of the berry into my mouth, wiping my hands on the bail of hay I was sitting upon.

I looked up at the criss-crossing of wooden beams, each providing a small square of space. Through that small square you could see into the floor above. I happily floated through the small hole, vaguely remembering a small puddle of water on that floor. I smiled to myself, if it happened to still be there I could wash my face. I floated along, my deep green light shining brightly in the poorly lit room. Yes, I was as happy as could be, so deeply involved in my own thoughts that I did not notice the obstacle before me. I tumbled head-first into it. I opened my eyes, shaking shaggy purple hair from my eyes. Before me was something I had not seen in a great while.

A girl, and a blond one at that. I rubbed my eyes once again, this couldn't be, what was a girl doing on a pirate ship? I lifted a strand of her hair, hair just a few inches longer than my own. She did not look too well.

The girl stirred, a small groan erupting from her throat. A deep purple bruise was beginning to form on her neck. She shivered slightly, and with good reason. It was quite dank in this part of the ship

I reached out my tiny hands to caress her cheek. Curse my weakness for cute girls! I sat upon her shoulder, leaning upon the healthy skin of her neck. Perhaps my small light would be able to warm her a bit. I rubbed my dark eyes, leaning against her seems to make me sleepy again. I closed my eyes, my light brightening.

"Maybe I can talk to you in the morning." I mumbled to the girl.

* * *

**Heehee ... don't worry, you'll learn more about my special Unknown in the next chapter! XD I apologize to **_Snake of Medusa_, **you won't find out about Hook's problem for at least two more chapters! XD I must say, I'm really surprised that I've written anything so long! (I'm almost done with the 10th chapter ((which should be out soon!)))**


	10. Meet Zephyr, Sweets!

**Sorries for the wait! I don't normally wait this long to update! XD Sorries, school has been sucking up my time! Here you are, this is mostly told from my new character's point of view! XD You'll get Kino/ Melody and a little third person, too. It changes! XD I hope you like!**

_Disclaimer: I only own Melody/ Kino, Toriko, Mota, Luep and Niko. And the new one! XD Oh, and the creepy pirate!_

* * *

What a lazy boy I am. I had just woken up from my slumber, only to eat a snack, then fall back asleep. And I feel asleep on an unconscious girl, no less. Wait, I realize that that sounded quite a bit dirty, but let me explain. I am no ordinary boy, you see. I am fairy. I cannot even _begin _to tell you how much I dislike that term, 'pixie' is not any more flattering, but I am what I am. I am probably just a bit longer than an average person's hand, I have the pretty, purple translucent wings, the most adorable pointed ears (if I do say so myself), a quite dashing ensemble woven together with tiny green leaves, and the warm, deep purple glow. Yes, my special color is purple, how emasculating. Even the shaggy mop of hair on my head is of the deepest purples, le-sigh. How I envy the other fairies, with their bright hues of gold and green, while I am stuck with purple. I often find myself wondering about such a color, so uncommon for a male fairy, any fairy really. I suppose that my bloodline is to blame. I know that I am fairy, maybe a dash of pixie, but I have these tiny pointed incisors, quite uncommon for a creature like myself. I do not know what other ethnicity that I possess, but, as I mentioned before, it must be the thing at fault for my peculiar coloring. 

But enough about me, I tend to ramble to myself when there is no one around. I titled by head up to look up at the girl I was trying to warm. Such a small girl in comparison to the pirates I was so accustomed to seeing, although, she still dwarfed me by size comparison. I chuckled, far too manly to giggle, as I pushed a lock of her dirty blond hair behind her ear. I stood up, floating up to be at eye-level with her ear. I floated close to her ear, tinkling sweet nothings into her ears. Quite a cute girl she was, I told her this in my voice of silver bells. Being the male fairy that I am, my voice is not nearly as beautiful as the golden bells that the female fairies possess.

My breath tickled her ear, for she shifted in her sleep as I began to whisper. I quieted when I felt that she had moved too often, for I did not want to wake her just yet. I had a feeling that she would need all the sleep that she could get while on this ship. I floated along, stopping inches away from her nose. I studied her face, she had a scab forming over a small incision on her right cheek, dried blood trailing down her cheek. That was not all, she had dirt smudged all over her face and a bump forming on the side of her forehead. I floated away from her, wandering the deck for the puddle of water I had been searching for before I had seen her. I found it in seconds, only to be faced with another predicament. How ever would I get that water to her face? I scooped water up in my hands, they were larger than a female fairy's hands, but they were still tiny. I hurriedly flew over to the girl, splashing the water on her cheek. Thankfully, there was so little water in my hands that it did not disturb her from her slumber. I rubbed her cheek gently, trying to peel the dried blood off. When I had succeeded, I went back to the puddle to get more water for the dirt on her face.

"Much better." I mumbled, wiping the sweat from my brow.

I heard a clanking of chains, followed by the gruff voice of a pirate, "'ey, girlie." he said in a raspy voice, kicking open the door. He held a wooden board in his hands, a tin cup of water and a grilled fish lying atop it, "Breakfast."

I covered my mouth to keep from yelping as I dove under her shirt, pressing myself up against her stomach, trying to make as little a bulge as possible. "Sorry." I whispered, knowing she would not appreciate this if she were awake.

I could hear the heavy steps of the man as he approached. I held my breath as he spoke.

"'Ey, lookit me when I tal' to ya." he slurred, placing the tray on the floor in front of the girl. He squatted down in front of her, waving his hand in front of her face. "Are you awake?" he asked. When the girl did not respond, an evil look spread across the man's face.

I did not like that look one bit.

The man inched closer to the girl, his hand outstretched. His fingers trailed down her stomach, venturing a way it definitely should not go.

This burned me up, how could he do this to an unconscious girl? Before he was able to go too far, I opened my mouth wide, clamping down onto his hands, my pointy little teeth finally doing some good, for I was sure I had drawn blood.

The man screamed, withdrawing his hand, waking the girl at the same moment.

"Mmmm ..." she groaned, starting to sit up.

The pirate wasted no time as he scrambled out of the room, slamming the door behind him. He fiddled with the chains, locking the door before taking off.

I quickly flew out from my hiding place, floating in front of her. I was eager to finally meet her.

_**(---.:. ADVeNTuRe AWaiTS! .:.---)**_

I woke to screaming and the clanking of chains. I groggily sat up, my head was thumping and I had a pain in my neck. I rubbed my eyes, a yawn escaping my lips.

"Hey, sweets." I heard a deep tinkling of bells.

_'Fairy Language.' _I mumbled myself. That is strange, why can I understand it? I opened my eyes, a glowing ball of deep purple floating in front of me.

"Wha?" I asked, rubbing my eyes again.

The ball of purple light floated closer to me. I could see him much more clearly now. It was a tiny boy. He was quite cute, he looked like a miniature teenager, maybe seventeen years of age. He had deep purple hair down to his chin in spiky little strands, with bangs to match, cut just above his eyelids. He had the most piercing eyes I had ever seen, dark orbs holding a mischievous look in them. He wore the most dashing ensemble of leaves. "Who are you?"

He grinned at me, jabbing a thumb to his chest, "The name's Zephyr." he gave quite a charming bow in mid-air, "At you're service."

He couldn't help but smile, "Hiya." I grinned. "I'm Mel-oh, wait." I stopped, looking down.

"I hope I'm not being too forward here, but would you mind if I called you 'Sweetie?' I've always fancied calling a girl that." he held his chin in his hand, as he looked at me from the corner of his eye.

What a cutie he was, "Sure, if you like."

He grinned at me, what a charmer. "Well, Sweetie ..." he stopped, "I quite like the sound of that." he mused.

I giggled, throwing my head back. What I saw greatly worried me. "Where am I?"

"You, my dear, are on Captain Hook's pirate ship." Zephyr said solemnly.

I froze, my memories of earlier flooding back to me. "Oh ..." I looked down, how did I get into this mess?

I felt a small hand on my cheek, "Now, don't be sad, Sweetie." he said in a cheerful tone. "It's not all bad, I mean, you met me." he chuckled.

I smiled, my eyes trailing down to the fish on a board on the floor. "Is that for me?" I asked hopefully, fully remembering that I had not eaten in a full day.

"Sure is, dig in."

I grasped the fish, hungrily devouring it, chugging the water in the tin cup. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, catching Zephyr giving me an amused look out of the corner of my eye.

He chuckled, "At least you're feeling better."

I felt my face flush, a grin desperately trying to cover it up. I stood up, wandering around the small room. It was nothing special, just a whole lot of hay and rotting wood. I wrinkled my nose in distaste, what a dump! It really smells in here, too!

"Nothing much, ne?" Zephyr smiled, landing on my shoulder.

I grinned at him, wincing when his hand accidentally touched the deep purple bruise on my neck.

"Sorry, Sweets." he grinned sheepishly.

I shook my head, "It's okay." I looked around, "By any chance, is there a way out of here?" I asked hopefully.

He shook his head sadly, "I don't know of one for someone of your size."

"Figures." I sighed. I held out my hand, Zephyr landing delicately on my palm. "So, what brings you here?" I asked.

Zephyr looked down, "I ... I ..." he heaved a heavy sigh, "It's complicated."

I bobbed my head, "It's alright, you don't have to tell me."

"One of these days, I'll get around to it." Zephyr's grin was back and mischievous as ever.

I smiled at him, what a sweetheart.

He flicked my chin softly, "So, tell me about yourself." he gave me charming smile.

_**(---.:. ADVeNTuRe AWaiTS! .:.---)**_

Peter slashed through the branch of a tree, he had come across a small clearing. It was here where the trail of goo ended.

"This is where I saw her last." Toriko said, instantly regretting the way he had phrased that.

"Which way should we go now?" Niko asked, plopping down on the ground.

"This way!" Mota and Luep shouted, each pointing in opposite directions. A look of anger flashed across their eyes. They had been much more irritable lately.

Toriko shot them a look, warning them not to start. "This way, I think they went this way." Toriko began to walk in a different direction.

"I doubt it." Peter mumbled.

"Why?"

"It doesn't feel right. I don't think that it is the way." he scratched his head.

"How can you be so sure?' Toriko asked.

"It's a gut feeling." he muttered. Peter was always one to live following his emotions alone.

Toriko shook his head. "I'm sure that I saw them go _this _way." Toriko thrust his head in the opposite direction of Peter.

Peter glared at him, "Well, do what you want." he shrugged.

Toriko seethed, "Fine." he snapped, turning on his heel and marching off in his chosen direction.

"Toriko, wait!" Niko cried out, running after the older boy.

Peter turned and walked off in the direction he had chosen, not bothering to look back.

Mota and Luep looked at each other.

"Peter?" Luep asked.

"Sure, you picked lunch yesterday." Mota shrugged, trotting off after Toriko and Niko.

Luep ran after Peter, figuring that Toriko would need the most help should trouble rear its ugly head.

* * *

**I tried not to make it too 'cliffie' this time! XD I have a question, Sare, where did you find out about Tink's friend Terrence? That interests me, so, if possible, could you let me know? And MangoFlavored x3? Thingy McPerson? You gave me a new phrase! Tinklebelt? ADORABLE! Made me giggle! XD**


	11. Fairy Troubles

**Hey! Koki-chan here! This chapter ... well ... I wanted to write a little more on Zephyr, I really like him! XD Thankies Sare, I used Terrence in this, and a little scene I read was able to help me write this! So, I dedicate this to my loyal reviewer, for a while, you have bee the first to review, thankies! XD**

_Disclaimer: I own only Melody/Kino, Toriko, Niko, Luep, Mota and Zephyr. Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Captain Hook and the land of Neverland belong to the wonderful mind that is J. M Barrie_

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"Where are the others?" Peter asked nonchalantly as he walked trough the forest, Luep trailing behind.

"They went with Tor'ko." Luep shrugged, stooping down to scoop up some berries.

"Hey, Lu."

"Yeah?"

"Remind me to take Toriko hunting one of these days."

"But whatever for?" Luep asked, shoveling the berries into his mouth.

Peter shook his head, "It is none of your concern."

Luep shrugged, "Okay." he replied, spewing little bits of berry as he spoke.

Peter wrinkled his nose in disgust, but kept on walking. He hopped on one foot, tried walking on his hands, anything he could think of, but it was still boring.

"How much longer are we going to walk?" Luep moaned as he trudged behind his leader.

"Hush, Lu." Peter commanded, he could hear something. Something vague, a noise so soft he had to concentrate with all his might to hear it. It sounded like ... mermaids. Peter slapped his face, running it down to his chin as he let out an exasperated sigh. '_Hook could never get anywhere close to the mermaids.'_ he had gone the wrong way. But, of course, he was not about to let Luep know that. "Change of direction." Peter announced, turning on his heel as he began to circle Mermaid Lagoon.

"Peter, please!" Luep groaned, "May we rest?"

Peter scowled, growing impatient, "Give it another few minutes, Lu. Don't be so lazy."

"But, Peter!" Luep protested.

"Hush/" Peter hissed, ever-so ungracefully crashing into a tree. He tumbled backwards, landing on his bum.

Luep bit his lip, trying desperately to keep from giggling.

Peter stood up, stiffly walking around the tree, "Come along, Luep."

Luep followed after him. Peter sure was a mess without that girl around.

**(---.:. ADVeNTuRe AWaiTS! .:.---)**

Toriko slashed through a tree branch, his face twisted in anger. Why wouldn't Peter believe him? Why was he being so stubborn? Toriko struck a particularly sturdy tree branch, flinging his sword from his grasp. The sword flipped and twirled in the air before stabbing into the ground. Toriko clenched his fists, he could not take it. He threw his head back, and opened his mouth. To say he screamed would be an understatement. The trees shook as this young boy emptied his emotions into the air in one might howl. He huffed and puffed, deep green eyes flashing as he gave a stomp of his foot, then plopped down on the ground. He punched the ground, immediately rubbing his cheek. He would kick, he would scream, he would punch, but he would not cry. He sat with his back to the two other boys for a moment in time, quietly steaming, trying to let his anger out.

Niko wrapped his small hands around the hilt of Toriko's sword, giving a mighty pull as he removed it from the ground. He held it up, blowing on the smooth metal to rid it of the dust that had formed. He slowly walked over to where Toriko was sitting, standing behind him for the longest time, afraid to open his mouth. "Toriko." he finally choked out.

The older boy turned, his eyes dark with anger.

Niko flinched, but refused to back down. "You dropped this, 'Riko." he held out the sword with both hands, taking care not to cut his hands as he held the hilt out for Toriko.

Toriko looked up at Niko, whose face was held in a stern expression. Toriko tried to hide a grin as he grasped the sword.

Niko dropped his hands once Toriko had retrieved his sword.

Mota trotted over, helping Niko pull Toriko to his feet. "Shall we carry on?" Mota asked.

Toriko faced the forest. The waters were close, he could feel it. He lifted his sword, slipping it into the sheath at his side. "Come on." he commanded, a smile on his face as he headed forward.

Niko and Mota looked to each other, sharing a wide smile as they trotted after Toriko.

**(---.:. ADVeNTuRe AWaiTS! .:.---)**

While the boys were wandering around the forest, the only one getting anything done was our old friend Tinker Bell. She twittered above the tree tops, scouring the area for any form of life. She stopped, silently floating in mid-air. "The boys said something about one Captain Hook. But that is impossible." she rubbed her chin while she spoke in her voice of golden bells She sighed, where there is water, there is a pirate captain. Tinker Bell shook her head, vaguely wondering if any of the boys would come to this conclusion. A small giggle escaped her lips, those boys are totally lost without her. She flew off in the direction of the ocean, sure she would see a pirate ship bobbing on the surface of the water.

Tinker Bell smiled, she always did love being right. She floated towards the ship, careful to not let herself be seen. Dusk was at hand, she would need to work quickly. Having a glow as bright as she did, it would be very difficult to maneuver herself around after dark without being seen. She flew through the air, keeping herself hidden from the view of the various windows. She spotted a hole in the glass of one window. It was just her size. She peered into the window, the room it looked into was empty. She slipped through the hole with ease, quickly ducking down behind a crate. She peeked over the edge, looking left, then right. The coast was clear.

She fluttered through the hallways, flying above the door frames, peeking into each room. She flew up and down the hallways, but she found nothing more then a few smelly pirates. She found an empty passage way after a few minutes of probing through different things. She passed through it, finding that it led down to a deeper level of the ship. She flitted down the hall, hiding behind a burning oil lamp when she heard footsteps. Her glow was hidden as a burly looking pirate walked past her. She stared at the pirate, an overwhelming stench filling the room. It was all Tinker Bell could do to keep from gagging.

The man stopped in front of a room, fiddling with a ring of keys before pushing the door open. He held a tray of food in his hands, the contents consisting of a piece of stale bread and an over-ripe banana. "Eat up, girlie." the man said with a strange accent as he dropped the tray on the floor.

Tinker Bell's eyebrows shot up, hiding behind her bangs. Girlie? She shot towards the door, slipping past the pirate. Tinker Bell covered her nose, the stench was coming from the man's mouth. She sneaked a peek at the man before slipping into the crack of the closing door. The stench was from the man's rotting tooth, his only tooth. Tinker Bell shuddered, the sooner she was able to leave, the better. The door closed with a 'thump', keys jingling in the lock as it clicked shut. Tinker Bell glanced around the room, it was covered in bales of hay, the floor littered with stray pieces of hay. She rested atop a crossbeam holding up the ceiling, her wings ached. Her eyes rested upon a corner of the room. In that corner sat a girl, a short mop of blond hair blending in with the old hay. Grey eyes sparkled as she poked at the bread as she laughed. A tinkling of silver bells accompanied the girl's giggles.

Resting on her shoulder was a bright ball of deep purple. The girl smiled fondly at the ball of light, the purple light leaned over to her ear, whispering something, making the girl giggle and blush.

"Zephyr! Hush!" she giggled, flapping her hand at him.

The ball of light, christened 'Zephyr', chuckled as he grinned, "Tis only the truth, Sweets."

Tinker Bell froze, that voice was so familiar. Both of the voices were.

The girl smiled, giving Zephyr a wink, "You charmer, you."

Tinker Bell smiled with pride, she had found her. She opened her mouth, then stopped, she had never had to call the girl's name before and was unsure what to address her as. "Melody." she called, deciding on the name she heard Peter address her as. If the Lost Boys must call her 'Kino' while Peter calls her 'Melody,' surely Tinker Bell was important enough to call her 'Melody' also.

The girl addressed whipped her head around, she turned to Zephyr, "What was that?" she asked.

Zephyr looked up, "It was Fairy language. Someone said 'Melody.'" he replied, his eyes scanning the ceiling.

The girl slowly rose to her feet, careful not to disturb the fairy on her shoulder. "Tinker Bell?" she called.

Zephyr's eyes shone, "Did you say 'Tinker Bell'?"

The girl nodded, "Uh-huh. Tinker Bell? Where are you."

Tinker Bell fluttered down to the girl, instantly regretting the action as she saw the fairy resting quite comfortably on the girl's shoulder.

Melody smiled, "I'm so happy to see you!"

Tinker Bell did not hear Melody's words, she was too fixated on the fairy on her shoulder.

Zephyr turned his head, his eyes finding Tinker Bell's. "Tinkle! How have you been?" he asked excitedly, popping up from Melody's shoulder and flying to Tinker Bell. He stood half an inch taller than Tinker Bell. He took her hands in his, "Did you miss me?" he asked, pecking her on the cheek.

Tinker Bell flushed, anger filling her tiny body. She wrestled her hands away from Zephyr's grip, swiftly slapping him across the face.

Zephyr grinned, his hand flitting up to his cheek. "Feisty as ever." he chuckled.

Tinker Bell scowled, turning in the air and flying out to the lone window. She began to slip through the crack when Melody's voice filled her ears.

"Where are you going?" she asked, uncertainty in her voice.

Tinker Bell turned to look at her, quickly muttering some things in golden bells.

Melody turned to Zephyr, who had regained his position on her shoulder.

"She says she's going to go find the others and tell them where you are." he chuckled, "She says good luck with me."

With that, Tinker Bell flew out into the night, leaving a trail of red dust behind.

Zephyr chuckled, touching his fingers to his cheek, "She _still _hates me."

"You've met Tinker Bell before?" Melody asked.

Zephyr nodded, "It was a while ago." he smiled. "Terrence and I -oh- Terrence was an old friend of mind. He was the one in charge of handing out the dust to all the fairies. Anyway, Terrence and I were floating around one day, bored out of our gourd. Finally, after we could stand it no longer, Terrence suggested that we go visit Tinkle." He floated in front of her.

Melody held out her cupped hands, Zephyr landing in her palms. He sat down, legs out-stretched as he leaned back on his hands, continuing the story.

"When we went to visit her she was working on fixing a small kettle, those cute little hands of hers could work magic on broken pots. Now, Tinkle was never too fond of me, I think I'm just a little too wild for her to handle, must be the imp in me." of course, Zephyr had no idea what his ethnicity was, so he often liked to say he was something that sounded particularly interesting to him at the moment. It often changed. "So, Terrence went in there by himself. He was in there for the longest time, quite the wind-bag Terrence is. He invited her to a game of fairy tag, knowing that Tinkle wouldn't be able to resist. I doubt she would have come along had she known that I were to participate."

"Tinkle had come out wearing her little tool belt of tiny hammers and other fixings, adorable as it was, I thought that it would slow her down. I kindly pointed it out to her, and if looks could kill I would not be here right now. So I ignored it." he shifted his position, sitting cross-legged on the girl's palms as she eased herself to the floor, listening intently to what her tiny buddy was saying. "It was just the three of us and a few other fairies we had picked up on the way. Fairy tag is a very enjoyable game, very fast paced, so you have to be quick in order to not get caught. I had lost when we played _ro-sham-bo_, so I was proclaimed 'it.' We zoomed and zipped through the air, it was a wonderful way to spend an afternoon. I am a fast flier, so I easily was able to tag Terrence. Terrence, on the other hand, is not very coordinated, so he had a hard time tagging someone else. I, being the kind fellow i am, held out my hand so he could tag me, to which he gratefully obliged."

"I quickly spotted Tinker Bell, looking eager and excited to be playing, so I decided to give her a little fun. I shot towards her, earning a look of mild annoyance as she quickly dodged out of the way of my hands. I chased her for the longest time, the game between the five of us quickly turning into a one-on-one between me and Tinkle. I was slowly gaining speed, getting closer and closer to tagging her. I finally was close enough, so I dove at her. She wasn't prepared, so we began to fall. Being the gentleman I am, I turned in the air so I would take the fall. We landed on a mushroom, useful little things they are, I only suffered from a bruise on my back. She pushed off me, wrinkling her cute little nose in disgust." he sighed, twisting his hands in his lap. "When she stood up, something fell from her belt. It was her tinkering hammer, the one some bloke named Peter made for her."

Melody winced, so that's what it was.

"She blamed it on me, she exploded." he sighed, "She slapped me and flew off. I think she was crying." he nervously scratched the back of his neck, "After that, she would not talk to me, she wouldn't even look at me." he looked up at Melody, giving her a weak smile, "She never really forgave me. I guess she never will."

Melody touched her forehead to the top of Zephyr's head, unsure of what to say.

"But don't you worry your pretty little head about that." Zephyr softly flicked the girl's forehead. "Now, why don't you try to gnaw on that bread, I don't see any mold, it should be safe. It is just a little bit crusty." he grinned.

Melody smiled back, Zephyr flying to her shoulder, lying with his back against the crook of her neck. "Eat up, Sweets."

**(---.:. ADVeNTuRe AWaiTS! .:.---)**

The corners of Captain Hook's mouth drew up in a crooked smile as he watched the small ball of light fly out to the forest. "Tinker Bell," he chortled, "Everything is falling into place. You are going to give me one hell of a show."

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**Heh, poor Zephy ... heh ... I'll try to update sooner, I started a new project in a different genre, and I promised my friend I'd keep the updates coming out quickly! XD And homework ... oh ... sleep ... I'll need that, too.**


	12. A Rescue Gone Wrong

**I apologize for such the long wait, I have been preparing to move and therefore have had little to no time to type. This chapter was one of my favorites, it was a lot of fun to write, despite of some of horrid things that happen. This chapter made my love for Toriko grow even more. I might have to up the rating a bit for this, and the next chapter. There will be a bit of blood, especially in the next. I hope you enjoy the thrilling next installment of _Adventure Awaits!_**

_Disclaimer: I like to think that you known who I own and who I do not._

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"Smee." Hook called. When there was no answer, he called again, louder this time, "Smee!"

Still no answer.

"**Smee!**" Hook screamed.

The older man tumbled into the room, "Y-y-yes, Cap'n?" he stuttered.

"I think it is time." he twirled his moustache with the tip of his hook.

"Time?" Smee questioned.

"Retrieve the girl." Hook commanded. "Make sure she has eaten. We do not want her fainting."

Smee nodded his head, 'Yes, Cap'n." he scurried off, gently closing the door behind him.

When the door had shut, Captain Hook slowly opened a drawer, pulling a ornate dagger from the dark depths. He slipped the dagger from the sheath, holding the blade in his palm. The temperature of the cool metal dropped against the icy skin of his hand. He dropped the sheath, the jeweled metal hitting the floor with a clatter. Running his finger against the blade, he left a trail of black goo. He lifted his finger, the goo curling down his finger and dripping down his wrist. "Perfection." he purred, retrieving the sheath and slipping the blade into it.

_**(---.::. ADVeNTuRe AWaiTS! .::.---)**_

I sat back against a bail of hay, picking stray pieces of straw from my mop of hair.

Zephyr, that lazy bum, had fallen asleep. I leaned my head against the bail, careful not to disturb my little fairy friend's slumber.

Some people were not so considerate.

There was a clanking of chains as an unsteady hand opened the lock. Zephyr woke up, yawning, "What's all the racket?"

"Hide." I whispered, ushering him to my hair. If it was longer, it would hide him better.

He groggily flew to the appointed hiding spot, leaning against the back of my neck.

The door swung open and a whiskered old man stepped in. He seemed to be no taller than I, a chubby, jolly looking man was he. "Hello, dear." he smiled nervously, "My name is Smee."

"Hello." I said warily, fully knowing who Mr. Smee was.

"Come along, I have something for you." he beckoned me with his hands.

I slowly rose to my feet, carefully not to rock Zephyr too much. I sauntered over to the old Irishman, careful not to show any sign of fear.

He held a rope in his hand, an uncomfortable look spreading across his face. "Hold out your wrists." he commanded, trying to sound assertive.

I placed the heels of my hands together, presenting them to him. I had hoped that in his flustered state he would not notice that my wrists were not together, thus leaving room for me to wriggle out later.

My hopes were dashed when he cinched the rope tighter around them, forcing them closer together. I winced.

"Sorry." he mumbled, loosening the ropes a smidgen.

I suppressed a grin, Smee surely was a bit of a push-over. He led me by the rope like the prisoner I was to a large room. The mess hall, I presumed. He ordered me to sit and them placed a plate full of berries in front of me. "Prevents scurvy." he had said with a smile.

I sighed. Tis better than stale bread, but the least he could have done was undo the ropes so i could eat. I held a berry in my hands, casually pushing my hair back with my bound wrists, offering Zephyr a secret treat while simultaneously informing him of my current state: a bound captive.

He took the berry, eating it as quietly as possible.

When I was finished, Smee ushered me out of the room. He lead me to a wooden staircase, a staircase leading to the deck. I shivered despite of myself, raising my hands to my face. Hook was just a few footsteps away, how am I going to get myself out of this one?

_**(---.::. ADVeNTuRe AWaiTS! .::.---)**_

Tinker Bell flew faster than she had ever flown before, hot tears stinging her cheeks. _'That jerk!" _she seethed, _'How could he even think of talking to me after what he did?'_ What Zephyr did not know was when that little hammer had hit the ground, it snapped in two. Tinker Bell was never able to fix it. _'That hammer was my favorite one! The most important one, and that jerk broke it without so much as an apology!' _Tinker Bell wiped her eyes when a familiar head was visible, an adorable mop of auburn hair resting under a green cap adorned with a red feather. She flew to him, stopping right in front of his face.

"Tink!" Peter cried, "Where have **you** been?" he asked.

"Did you find Kino yet?" Luep asked eagerly.

Tinker Bell nodded, rapidly explaining where the girl was.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Peter asked, taking to the air, rocketing towards the body of water where the pirate ship was anchored.

Luep flew after him, followed by Tinker Bell.

The small pixie felt an overwhelming feeling, one she had not felt in a great while. Green dust was following her as she flew, could it be ... jealousy? Tinker Bell wrinkled her nose. _'No way, how can I be jealous of her?' _she thought, _'She's just part of his crew, nothing more.' _Tinker Bell dismissed the idea as non sense, that mushroom she ate must have been bad.

_**(---.::. ADVeNTuRe AWaiTS! .::.---)**_

The three boys tromped through the forest, the smell of salt water was thick in the air.

"Almost there!" Toriko crowed, his pace quickening.

Niko was beginning to fall behind.

Toriko fell back, scooping the youngest boy into his arms and onto his back. He hooked his arms under Niko's legs and resumed running.

Mota fought to keep his pace even with Toriko's, he could feel the excitement in the air.

The pirate ship was coming into view. With one last burst of energy, they were there.

Toriko dropped Niko to his feet, leaning his hands on his knees in an attempt to catch his breath.

Mota flopped on the ground, breathing heavily.

Niko stood, waiting, staring anxiously at the pirate ship.

Toriko, his breath finally captured, stood to his full height. He stared at the ship, his eyes blazing with determination. "Are you ready, men?" he asked, faking a deeper voice, raising his sword in the air.

"Ready!" Niko squealed, holding his little blow gun.

"Ready!" Mota shouted, his breath finally regained. He raised his tomahawk in the air, waiting for Toriko's instruction.

He looked from Niko to Luep, a smile plastered in his face, excitement in his eyes. He held his sword out, letting out a battle cry.

The two younger boys joined in.

"Let's go rescue Kino, then we'll get a double story!' Toriko grinned, running of in the direction of the pirate ship, the two boys following him.

The stood at the bottom of the ship, looking up at the high walls. Their weapons tucked away, they began their climb. One hand after another, their fingers found their way into worn out grooves in the wood, feet somehow finding footholds on ropes and broken wood.

Niko held onto Toriko's neck, far too little to climb on his own. He should have stayed behind, but he is a stubborn little fellow and just would not have it. He wanted to help rescue Kino, too.

Toriko peeked his head over the railing. He looked in all directions. There were a few pirates scattered about, surely he could take all of them. He motioned for Mota to scurry up with him. He held up three fingers, the countdown beginning.

1 ... 2 ... 3!

With a yell, they hoisted themselves over the railing, weapons raised high in the air.

Toriko slashed at everything in sight, mowing down a few pirates.

Mota slammed his tomahawk so forcefully he feared the head of his weapon would fall of.

Niko, too little to do much damage, shot darts, severely annoying the pirates.

"What is all this?" came a chilling voice.

Toriko whipped his head in the direction of the voice. Anger flared in his eyes. Before him, on the upper part of the deck, was the object the Lost Boys hated with every fiber of their being.

Dark curls, dead blue eyes, Hook. An old, rotund man stood at his right-hand side, a rope in his hands. The rope was currently binding none other than Kino.

"Toriko!" she cried gleefully, rising to her feet.

Hook grabbed her, preventing her from going any further, "Hello there." the corner of his mouth turned up in a crooked smile. He held her back by her cheek, his hook threatening to bury itself in the healing cut. "May I ask what you are doing on my ship?" he asked, acid dripping from his voice.

"Give her back." Toriko demanded, pointing his sword towards Hook. By that time, he was close enough to lightly brush the pirate captain's nose with the tip of his sword.

The man chuckled, "I'm afraid that I cannot do that. She is of great importance to me. I believe you say: Finders keepers?"

"I wasn't asking." Toriko growled. He knocked Kino out of the way, spinning around and swinging his sword.

Hook stopped the sword in mid-swing, catching it in his hook. "What poor manners you Lost Boys have." he frowned, "I suppose I will have to teach you some." he threw the sword off of his hook, knocking Toriko back. He drew a sword of his own, preparing for a duel.

_**(---.::. ADVeNTuRe AWaiTS! .::.---)**_

I stared at the battle going on before me. It appeared that Hook's new peg leg did not slow him down in the least. I glanced at Mr. Smee. He was in such shock from the things happening before him that he had dropped the rope.

"Zephyr." I whispered, quite proud of him for staying quiet so long.

"Right-o." he replied, flying from his hiding place to my bound wrists. His little fingers went to work on the set of intricate knots Smee had tied the rope in. His fingers were quick and nimble, the knots were undone in a matter of moments. I shook the ropes off and stood to my feet. I looked to the battle between Hook and little Toriko. I felt so helpless, for all I could do was watch as Hook unleashed his rage on Toriko. I watched his cringe in pain from the reverberation of the swords clanking together. Behind the cool confidence of his face I could see fear hiding behind his eyes. I looked all around, then, I spotted it.

It was a small, ornate dagger, jewels speckling the golden sheath. I ran for it, grasping it in my hands. I pulled it out, charging for Hook, intent on helping Toriko. "Hah!" I screamed, digging the dagger into his side.

Hook flinched, surprised, giving Toriko a chance. He swung at an opening in Hook's side, slicing it open.

I grinned at Toriko who rushed to my side. We stood shoulder to shoulder as I pulled the dagger from Hook's side.

A putrid, black goop spurted from his side, splattering over Toriko, who had roughly shoved me out of the way.

I fell to the floor, watching Toriko writhe in pain when the goop hit his flesh.

"Toriko!" I screamed, rushing to his side. His beautiful, smooth skin was being burned from the goop. I frantically scrapped at it with my hands, ignoring the burning sensation in my fingertips. I had to get this junk off of him. The skin where I had cleared the goop from was red and raw.

Toriko began to shiver, unable to move. I scraped the last of it off, the smell of singed flesh in the air.

Zephyr glared at Hook, hatred filling his small body.

Hook chuckled at him, "How frightening, a half-breed in my presence. Where did you come across a being as disgusting as this?" his voice oozed acid.

I held Zephyr back, I did not want Hook to lay a hand on my newest friend.

Hook gazed at Toriko's singed form, "Powerful stuff, huh?" Hook asked, the goop still gushing out of his side, "It is a form of acid running through my veins, it will burn whatever it touches, like your little friend there."

I held Toriko in my arms, pulling him close, trying my hardest to keep him away from danger. I looked to the others, Mota, Niko, they were both being held by the scruff of their t-shirts by two big pirates. The were thrashing about, trying to free themselves, but it was no use. Hot tears pricked at my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. "You sick abomination." I spat, insults were all i had at the moment.

The man chuckled, "Abomination? I never quite thought of it that way." he touched the goop lingering at his side. The flow was beginning to cease. "This acid, do you know where I received it from."

I glared at him, pulling Toriko closer. I did not want that goop anywhere near him.

"I trust you know of my encounter with the crocodile. When I met with that wretched beast I also met my end. The next thing I knew, I was in eternal darkness. A man with hair of blue flames and robes black as night approached me in that swirling abyss. He made a deal with me, it appears I am not the only one who despises Pan." he spat the name out, a look of disgust on his face. "In exchange for my foot, he would give me new life. It seems that something was binding me to Neverland, and he did not want to deal with it. When I kill Pan, I will be able to rest, and Hades, Lord of the Dead, will be rid of that wretched creature as well." Captain Hook began to chuckle, his soft laughter turning into that of a raving lunatic.

"You're sick." I spat at his feet, I could feel the anger in my eyes.

His hand reached out for me, I tried to pull Toriko farther away from him, but it was no use. He plucked the lifeless boy from my arms and tossed him like a rag doll to one of his pirate henchmen. The pirates tied the boys to the mast of the ship with a thick rope, dashing any hopes of escape.

I glared at him with all the hate I had ever felt, tears burning my eyes. "You filthy old Codfish." I choked out. In felt so helpless, I could not help Toriko, who had risked his life to rescue me. I could not help little Mota, I could not even protect the smallest boy, Niko. I clenched my fists, my fingernails digging into my palm. I am so useless!

Hook raised his hand, smacking me across the face. He had used so much force that it had knocked me clear across the deck. "You will not speak to me that way, nor look at me in such a manner." he seethed, his eyes flashing.

Zephyr, unable to stand it any longer, shot out from his place on my shoulder. "How dare you raise your hand to a woman!" he seethed.

Hook batted him away, knocking him to the ground.

"Zephyr!" I cried, picking his small body up in my hands. He managed a small smile, he was okay.

I will not cry, I refuse to! I spat on the deck, a look of defiance on my face.

Hook raised his hand once more, approaching me with the intent to kill, but, a noise broke his rage.

Pan pipes. It was only a few notes, but it alerted us to his presence.

A flying boy with garments of green and hair of auburn shot through the air, followed by another boy and a ball of light.

"Look who's here." Hook snickered. "Now the show can begin."

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**Toriko! No! -huggle- See what I mean? I finally found the name of the Lost Boy Toriko was based on. His name was _Rufio _from the movie _Hook_. I adored his hairstyle and his attitude, so it kind of influenced my design for Toriko. I hope you enjoyed this, please R&R, for it feeds me ... XD Reviews always speed my writing hand! **


	13. Drop, Run, Slice

**I couldn't resist. I wrote this chapter yesterday and I _had _to post it. I love you guys that much. I have been itching to write a scene for a while, it is the closing scene. It's horrid, I may have to up the rating, or at least give a warning. _This chapter is rated T for blood and a bit of violence._ I hope you like this, I know I did, as mean as it makes me sound.**

_Disclaimer: I own what you have come to love, yes? I do not own Peter Pan (darn) Tinker Bell, Hook, Smee ... etc._

* * *

The pirate ship came into view. Peter, utterly elated with himself, pulled his pan pipes out, playing a few notes to alert the Lost Boys of his arrival. It was not until he, Luep and Tinker Bell touched down that they realized how very serious the situation was. His eyes scanned the ship. His Lost Boys were tied to the mast of the ship. Niko and Mota were crying, Toriko was unconscious, his skin singed and turning an unhealthy shade of pink. Up on the higher deck was Melody, sprawled on the floor, her cheek swelling and turning purple. When her eyes met his they began to shine, "Peter ..." she whispered, a smile forming on her face. She winced, he could tell smiling hurt for her. 

Niko's sobs sliced through the silence, "Peter!" he wailed.

His eyes finally rested on the sole thing that made his jolly heart fill with rage.

Hook.

He growled, his hand finding its way to his dagger. "Hook." he spat.

Luep rushed to his brother, but was cut short by a burly pirate.

The pirate seized Luep, attempting to bind him along with the other Lost Boys.

"That is very rude." Peter growled, flying over to the pirate. He raised his dagger, slicing the pirate's hand clear off of his wrist. Blood dripped from the gaping hole as the pirate screamed.

Luep scurried away, stealthily going to work on the knots of the rope.

Smee, finally snapping out of his stupor, bound over to the girl, grabbing a fistful of her hair.

She cried out, a small ball of deep purple flying from her side, pummeling its tiny fists into Smee's nose.

Red-faced, the man apologized, restraining the girl more gently.

Melody shook and kicked, flailing her limbs wildly.

Tying her wrists and ankles together in the style cattle are bound, Smee rested his foot on the small of her back, informing her to get comfortable, for they were about to see one great show.

"What have you done to her?" Peter demanded, his eyes growing darker by the second.

"Whatever do you mean? I have only kept her safe from you." Hook replied innocently, his voice dripping with acid.

"Why is she so bruised?" he glared at him, "You sick Codfish." he took to the air, plummeting down on Hook, his dagger raised.

Hook held his sword up, blocking Peter's weapon.

Peter pushed on Hook's sword with his dagger, pushing himself off of the opposing weapon. He twirled in the air, attempting to attack Hook from behind.

Hook spun around, parrying Peter's attack with his own, "Those old tricks will not work any more, Pan." he chuckled, his voice laced with malice.

Peter ignored him, taking to the air once more, extending his dagger while he torpedoed towards Hook.

The man crossed his sword and his hook to stop Peter's dagger before it hit him.

He was not quick enough, the tip of the blade sinking in between his eyes.

Peter grinned, his eyes dancing, "I've got you, Codfish."

A black liquid trickled down his forehead and nose, dripping down to his lips. Hook lapped it up, "Not quite." he smirked, licking his lips.

Peter's face fell, retreating quickly, narrowly dodging Hook's swinging sword.

Hook gave a crooked grin, he advanced on Pan, swinging his sword with such brute force that even the great Peter Pan was having difficulty.

"What has happened to you?" Peter grunted. Even he recognized that no mortal could posses such strength.

"Your old friend Hades wants to be rid of you." Hook swung harder, knocking Peter on his bottom. "I am here to help. He gave me my strength, my life," his forehead spurted with goop from the exertion, "My blood."

"Peter! Watch out for that goop!" Melody shouted out to him.

"Quiet, you!" Smee commanded.

Peter pushed Captain Hook's sword back, rolling out of the way.

The goop hit the wooden flooring, smoke rising from where it had landed.

Peter's eyes widened, "Hades? That old bore? All I did was set his hair on fire." Peter fended off another of Hook's attacks, "That's no reason to kill me."

"You used an eternal flame." Hook replied, grunting with exertion as he pressed on.

"So?" Peter asked, sliding backwards on his bottom, both hands on his dagger to parry Hook's attacks.

"Not only do eternal flames never extinguish, they also are extremely hot, rare as well." Hook knocked Peter's dagger from his grasp. "His head burns." he raised his sword, preparing for the finishing blow.

"Peter!" the Lost Boys chorused.

Luep tried to rise to his feet to save Peter, he had been busy uniting the knots, for they were difficult and many.

"Peter!" Melody shouted, screwing her eyes shut.

Peter stared into the blade. He would not flinch, he would not cry, after all, "To die would be an awfully big adventure."

Two flashes of gold and violet zipped through the air, stopping the blade in mid-swing.

Holding the sword at bay was Tinker Bell and a fairy Peter had never seen before, Zephyr.

"Move it, fella." Zephyr grunted, pushing the sword back.

"You ass! Hurry up!" Tinker Bell's wings fluttered fervently, it was all they could do to keep the sword away from Peter.

Peter rolled over, grasping his dagger. He floated to his feet, up and ready to go.

Zephyr grabbed Tinker Bell, rolling out of the way of the sword as Hook swung it down.

He held her close, determined to protect her from danger. He flew to the top of the captain's quarters.

She pushed him off, preparing to fly back to Peter.

Zephyr grabbed her wrist, pulling her back, "There is nothing we can do to help him." he stated.

Tinker Bell glared at him, "Why do you say that?"

"This is a man's battle. If you were to help him win it, it would shame him to no end." Zephyr tugged her back, setting her down next to him. "If things get to out of hand, I'll see what I can do, but for now, all we can do is wait." he sighed in his voice of silver bells. He gave a tired grin. "You know I want to help my Sweets down there, but there is nothing I can really do. I may be bigger than you, but I couldn't rescue her by myself."

Tinker Bell looked down, he was right, there really was nothing she could do.

Zephyr touched the top of her head, "Cheer up, you're much prettier when you smile." he grinned.

Tinker Bell smacked his up-side the head, turning away from him in a huff. She tried her hardest to hide the smile stretching across her face.

Back in the battle, things were not going as swimmingly.

Peter was drenched in sweat while Captain Hook did not even have a red tint to his cheeks.

Peter's lithe form twisted and bent during the fight, he was far more flexible then the stiff corpse-like figure of Captain Jas. Hook. This was the small edge he held over Hook. He moved his hips from side to side, dodging Hook's deadly blade.

Melody rubbed the needle up and down the knot of the rope. When she had been hunting just days before, she had killed a bear and taken a bit of its fur as a badge of courage and a badge to prove she was a real part of Peter Pan's crew. She stored the needle in the arm band she had made of the fur. She thanked the heavens she had it, for the ropes were slowly being cut loose.

Smee, having the attention span of a flea, had removed his foot and was becoming engrossed in inspecting a hole in the wood flooring. He was used to seeing fighting.

The rope snapped. Victory! It was all she could do to keep from crowing herself. She did not move, waiting until the time was right.

Luep had begun thrashing the rope binding his brethren with his tomahawk. After repeating the process, the remaining Lost Boys were freed. With a cry of delight, they rose to their feet, tackling various pirate henchmen, biting and hitting until they had commandeered their weapons. The rushed into the fray of battle.

Melody discerned this time to be the perfect time to try and escape. She shook of the ropes, rubbing her chaffed wrists. She attempted to run when her short mop of dirty blond hair was snagged. She turned, apparently all the shouting had alerted Mr. Smee of where his attention should have been.

"Not so fast, Missy."

"Excuse me, Tinkle." Zephyr bowed to the female before rocketing off towards Smee. He sunk his sharp little teeth into Smee's fingers.

Mr. Smee yowled in pain, releasing Melody of his grip.

Zephyr flew back to his perch, he still had to protect Tinker Bell.

What he did not know was that Melody was unprepared for the release, causing her to fall forward with all the grace of a rhinoceros.

Peter had knocked Hook to the ground. Luep kicking the pirate captain's sword away.

Niko watched intently, guarding Toriko's unconscious form.

Peter held his dagger centimeters away from Hook's jugular, "This is the end, you old Codfish." he crowed.

"Not so fast." came a quivering voice.

All heads whipped towards the voice.

There was Smee, hands shaking as he held Melody's shoulder, restraining her, the dagger she had used to stab Hook with held to her throat. "Back away from him, back away, I say!" he commanded, pulling Melody's head back, "Or I'll slit her throat."

Zephyr tried to fly to her, but Tinker Bell held him back. "You will just make it worse, don't make him mad." she warned, a sad look on her face.

Peter glared daggers at Mr. Smee, refusing to release his sword, "You don't have the guts." he challenged.

"I-I'm serious, you had better back off." he pressed the cool, goop-stained metal closer against Melody's neck.

Peter dropped his dagger, Hook knocking it away. He tried to fly to Melody, but it was too late.

Smee swiped the blade across her neck, blood splattering on the floor.

"Sweetie?" Zephyr shouted, fluttering down, Tinker Bell no longer restraining him.

"Melody!" Peter shrieked, flying to her side.

She clutched at her throat, blood pouring over her fingers. She dropped to her knees, Peter catching her before she fell.

"Kino!" the boys screamed.

Niko began to sob, eyes and nose running freely, "Kino!" he wailed.

Zephyr landed on Peter's shoulder, "Sweets? Come on, Sweets." he pleaded.

She wheezed, coughing, her grey eyes glazing over, her dirty, blue shirt stained red with blood.

The screaming had awakened Toriko. His body ached, his skin burned. He rose groggily to his feet. The scent of blood wafted to his nose.

"Kino!" he heard Niko wail.

He stood to his full height, his pain escaping him for a moment. He ran to the circle forming, his knees buckling when he saw the blood.

Smee dropped to the floor, quaking with fear, "What have I done?" he whispered.

Toriko crawled over to her, he felt like he was going to be sick.

**"KINO!"**

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**Nooo! Kino-chan! Heh ... now I don't feel so bad about updating so quickly, for you are still in suspense -cackle- I have been itching to write this scene ever since I learned certain facts about slitting throats (in mathematics, no less! XD) R&R, maybe you'll get another quick update!**


	14. Overwhelming Times

**Heh, here's what you have been waiting for. What is the fate of our heroine, Melody/ Kino/ Sweets? Now you find out! XD Hope you like it. And **_firefaerie93 _**(right?), you are going to see Zephhy get back a Mist Bell a little in this chapter! Nyaa! You are not allowed to have more chapters than me! Although you probably will. That's why I have to update now! I hope you like this, another chapter I enjoyed writing.**

_Disclaimer: You know this already, right?_

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The ship grew silent, not even the birds squawked. 

Peter cradled her head in his arms, "Melody." he whispered.

He laid her gently on the deck, turning to Smee, his eyes full of hatred. He advanced on him, a murderous glint in his eyes. "You."

Smee broke down into tears, sobbing like a small child. He had taken a life. He was a pirate, but he never felt he could do something thing this horrid.

"Pan." came the voice of the last person he wanted to see.

He turned to face the man. "What is it, Hook?"

"There is still the battle at hand." he smirked, tossing Peter his dagger.

Peter caught it skillfully, gripping it in his hand, a new found strength filling his body. He charged at Hook, his body propelled by rage.

The boys stayed with Melody ... Kino.

They knelt around her, eyes wet.

Toriko brushed a lock of hair from her face, "Kino ..."

Silent tears trickled down Zephyr's face.

Tinker Bell patted his hand, trying to console him.

Niko was hysterical, "He-he pu-pulled h-her head back, " he sobbed, "And h-he to-took the d-dagger and he ... and he ..." he howled.

Mota and Luep held him close, trying to console their youngest friend.

Toriko rubbed his face angrily, ignoring the burn when he did so. He stopped short, "Wait, did you say he pulled her head _back_?" he asked.

"Toriko, this ..." Mota began.

"Is not the time." Luep finished.

"But did he?" he asked, his voice holding a glimmer of hope.

"Uhh-uh-huh." Niko bawled.

Toriko reached for his tattered and torn red t-shirt, ripping a good sized piece off, revealing his stomach. He took the cloth, the cleanest piece he could find, and leaned over Kino. He wrapped the cloth around her neck, tightly enough to begin the blood clot, but loosely enough for her to still breath.

"What are you doing?" Zephyr asked, making a face.

Toriko propped her up in his lap, leaning her torso against his, trying to keep her up-right. "When you are to slit a throat," Toriko began, huddling close to Kino, trying to keep her warm, "You are supposed to push the head forward. When you do that, something important, I think it is the pulmonary vein, is exposed. It is very important."

Mota and Luep nodded, Niko's tears were slowing.

"A lot of people don't know that, so they pull the neck back when they slit it. When they do that, a special thing in your throat protects it." Toriko wiped then excess blood from her neck, shaking it from his hand, "If we can stop the bleeding, she will be fine."

"Really?" Niko asked, the faucet behind his eyes twisting shut.

"Yes, but we have to keep her safe." Toriko replied, carefully picking her up.

Zephyr fluttered after them, Tinker Bell with him.

Mota and Luep and Niko trotted after him.

He leaned against a wall, Kino resting against his chest.

The other boys huddled around her, trying to keep her warm, for the sun was slowly setting.

Things were not so happy with Hook.

Peter, receiving a new burst of energy, attacked Hook relentlessly.

It was all Hook could do to block the attacks. He was pushed back farther and farther. He stuck his foot out, tripping Peter.

Peter fell to the floor, Hook pouncing on this opportunity. He swung his sword down on Peter.

But, Peter spun around, blocking the attack with his dagger. With a mighty thrust, he pushed Hook of, hastily raising to his feet. The barrage of attacks continued.

Hook lead him all around the ship, but Pan did not let up.

Finally, he had him cornered right where they had started. He held the sword to Hook's neck, "Good-bye." he smiled

_**(---.::. ADVeNTuRe AWaiTS! .::.---)**_

My eyes fluttered open. My neck ached, my whole body ached. I looked to see that the sky was darkening and surrounding me were the Lost Boys. Toriko, who was holding me, smiled, his eyes lighting up.

"You're okay." he smiled.

I opened my mouth to say something, but an excruciating pain prevented me from doing so.

"You won't be able to talk for a while." Luep explained. He was curled up at my side.

"I thought you were a goner." Niko said, his eyes and nose red. Mota nodded.

"You had me scared there, Sweets." Zephyr nudged my forehead.

Tinker Bell smiled at me.

"Good-bye."

We heard a taunt, it was Peter.

I turned my battered and bruised body towards it.

Peter had Hook pinned against a wall with his sword, "An eye for an eye, a life for a life." Peter growled.

"Pihhhhh." I rasped. I tried to call out his name, but it was no use. "Pihhhhhhtheeeeeer."

He turned his head at the noise, grey eyes met aquamarine. "Melody." he whispered, "You are okay." he smiled. He tossed Hook to the ground and ran to meet me. He dropped to his knees. He had never cried a day in his life, and he was intent on never doing so. He merely knelt there, reunited with his entire crew.

Toriko relinquished me to Peter, the both of us were too battered to fly on our own. Peter held me in his arms, turning to Hook. "I will be back, and you will not be so lucky next time." he gnashed his teeth at him, taking to the air.

Luep and Mota each hooked an arm under one of Toriko's, lifting him up with them, Niko followed.

Zephyr rested on my shoulder, whispering sweet nothings into my ear.

We landed somewhere in the forest, everyone in need of a break after that battle. The twins and Toriko continued to walk, for the hideout was only a few minutes away. Niko, followed them, hungry for a snack.

Zephyr coaxed Tinker Bell into taking a stroll with him.

Peter gently set me on the ground. He inspected my wound, bandaged with a piece of Toriko's shirt. The shirt was red, so you could not tell how much blood it had soaked up. My entire shirt front was covered in dried blood.

Peter handed me a tattered shirt he had found, it was enough to cover me and not covered in blood.

I graciously accepted. He turned as I turned my back to him, quickly changing. I discarded my old shirt, it was stained beyond use now. The shirt was roomy and comfortable, a brilliant shade of forest green.

He touched his palm to my hand, he was at least a head taller than me. He studied my face, probably taking inventory of all the injuries I had sustained. A scar stretched over my right cheek, Toriko gave it to me, but it was re-opened twice by Hook. a bruise on my collarbone from when Hook knocked me out, my left cheek was purple from where Hook slapped me across the face, my arms were scratched everywhere from my rough landing in the storage room, or so Zephyr told me, not to mention the cut on my neck. He smiled weakly at me, "We thought we lost you."

That last comment broke the barricades. All the tears I had fought back while on the pirate ship had broken loose. An agonized cry tore itself loose from my throat, a pain shooting through my entire body. I threw my arms around him, arms wrapped around his neck.

Peter, unprepared for this outburst, toppled backwards from the unexpected weight into the ankle-deep grass of the forest.

I am a girl, I have feelings, I try to be tough when I'm with the Lost Boys and Peter, but I am sensitive. All the happenings on the pirate ship were too much for me. For the longest time, I simply remained there on top of him, my face pressed squarely into his shoulder, sobbing. My throat burned, it hurt like nothing I had ever felt before, but at the moment, I didn't care.

Peter froze. How was he to know how to comfort a crying girl? Whenever the Lost Boys cried, he kicked them out until they stopped. He couldn't do that because they were already outside. Peter never thought about death, he did not know how greatly this experience affected his friend. As he gingerly positioned himself a bit more comfortably between my small body and the earth beneath him, two arms rose up and cradled me against his chest. One hand remained gently fixed upon the nape of my neck, while the other awkwardly traveled up and down the length of a tattered green shirt in slow, exaggerated motions. He began to coo softly in my ear.

"It's okay, Melody ... I'm here for you … it'll all be okay … I promise … " he mumbled, he was at a loss for what to do, so he spouted the words that came to his head. Whenever she looked upset, that strange fairy whispered in her ear. That always seemed to work.

He was beginning to get a chill from the cold ground, but tried to ignore the dew-kissed grass under his bottom. Being wet never was much fun. Peter's attention inexorably returned to the figure in his arms. She was soft… and warm … and …

And just a friend, nothing more.

"I -I ... was so ... sc-scared." I rasped, my voice gravelly, it hurt so much to talk, I can't believe I survived that encounter. "When the knife was pressed at my throat, " I struggled with great difficulty to choke the words out, saying how I felt would make me feel better, right? "I thought I was done for." another sob escaped my throat, making it ache even more.

Peter hoisted me up effortlessly, sitting up-right and setting me down next to him. He awkwardly held his arm out, looking in the other direction. "My butt was starting to hurt, but if you need to, you can cry in my shoulder." he mumbled.

I gave him a watery smile, I curled up to his side, my sobs turning into sniffles and the pathetic little whimpers you have after crying.

He draped his arm around my shoulder, yawning. He knocked his head against mine, resting it on the top of my head, "Don't worry about this, Melody. I won't let this happen to you again." he said almost carelessly, "That smelly old pirate cannot hurt you, unless you get a good whiff of him." Peter clutched his throat with his free hand, making gagging noises, "Then, I do not know what could happen."

I giggled softly, my throat still hurt.

"So don't cry any longer, okay?" he asked hopefully.

I wiped my tears and nodded, "Okay." I whispered.

He lifted his head from mine and stood to his feet. He bowed slightly, one hand tucked behind his back, the other extended to me.

I grinned, taking his hand. Peter had such good manners. I think he learned them from fairy banquets.

He lifted me to my feet, releasing my hand once I was steady, and we walked.

He sneaked a glance at my face, to ensure I had stopped crying, I suppose.

I gave him a grin, which he returned. We walked in silence, but whenever our shoulders bumped, I held my breath, a feeling bubbling in my stomach. It was great admiration for him, I'm sure it was.

_**(---.::. ADVeNTuRe AWaiTS! .::.---)**_

Zephyr and Tinker Bell flew in silence, leaving trails of gold and purple dust behind them.

"That was a scary ride, ne?" Zephyr asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"Yes." Tinker Bell replied in golden chimes.

"Are you okay?" Zephyr asked, inclining his head towards her.

"Fine, perfectly fine." she replied airily.

"All the blood didn't make you the least bit queasy?" he asked, a grin on his face.

Tinker Bell shuddered, "Maybe a little."

Zephyr stopped, resting on a mushroom, "I was really scared." he admitted.

Tinker Bell turned, floating in front of him, "What do you mean?"

Zephyr patted the part of the mushroom next to him, Tinker Bell looked at him warily, but sat down next to him.

"When I saw that old coot with the knife, when she fell to the floor, all that blood." he paused, giving Tinker Bell a weak smile, "It really scares you, ne?" he stretched his hands above his head, "I imagine you felt the same way when that fellow was fighting with Hook."

Tinker Bell nodded, "It's a scary feeling, being so helpless."

"He's really important to you, isn't he?" Zephyr asked, leaning back on his elbows.

She nodded, "Peter is my everything."

Zephyr flinched, he hadn't expected her to feel that way.

"And Melody, is she important to you?"

Zephyr nodded, "Yeah, Sweets is a good girl."

"How long have you known her?" Tinker Bell asked, small talk was better than silence.

"Since she was taken to the ship. I saw her, all bruised, I had to help her out." he grinned, "Too nice for my own good."

"How did you end up in Hook's ship?" she asked.

"I ... well, " he scratched the back of his head, "I guess I just needed some place to kick it for a while after that storm, remember, the one that destroyed so many plants?"

Tinker Bell nodded, of course she remembered, it was a disaster.

"The little shack I was inhabiting at the time was blown to smithereens. I needed somewhere to go, and someone just happened to have left a window open on that ship."

She winced, so _that's _why she had not seen him for so long, "Why didn't you just stay with Terrence or another fairy? I'm sure Treaken would have taken you in." Tinker Bell was referring to Zephyr's surrogate brother, an attractive and popular fairy among the forest folk.

"There's no way I could have asked _him _for help." Zephyr scowled, "Treaken is the type to hold these kinds of things over you, demanding all kinds of things and acting like you were a charity case. I'd rather live in the bottom of a pirate ship than with him." he wrinkled his nose in disgust.

Tinker Bell did not know what to say, Treaken was loved by all as a kind fellow, and yet, Zephyr was saying it was all an act, "Oh." was Tinker Bell's witty response.

"I'm not surprised," he grinned, "The girlies usually can't get past that mug of his."

Tinker Bell blushed, bopping Zephyr on the head.

"Oooh, have I struck a nerve?" he laughed.

The fairer fairy scowled, fighting a smile back. Zephyr had a laugh that would make anyone smile.

"I guess I'll leave you to your fantasies." Zephyr teased, rising from the mushroom.

Tinker Bell fumed, rising her hand to strike him again.

He caught her wrist, interlocking his arm with hers, "Come now, Sweet Heart." he gave a charming smile, "What would the children think if they were to see us fighting?"

Tinker Bell giggled, "You silly ass." she smiled. Maybe she'd let him hold her arm for the fly back, just this once.

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UWAAAAAAAAAAH! So what'd you think of the fluff? The tiny romance scenes? X3 I'm a little skeptical of what I wrote, so let me know! Wah! The ending of the battle was so anti-climatic! XP Sorries! R&R! 


	15. A Moment's Reprieve

**This here is my longest chapter! wh00t! Yay! This, well, this chapter is a chance for the characters to wind down a little bit. A little more fluff, and _smilee5888_, you be sure to tell me the _second_ it becomes cliche! XD Now, I would like to dedicate this next story arc to **_firefarire93_. **Why, you may ask. Because were it not for a fierce (XD) competition I feel with her, this next story arc would not be. The story would have ended this chapter in an admittedly anti-climatic way, with an epilogue, too. But, because her story is not stopping any time soon, I feel I should at least _try _and have more chapters than her! ;P And, oh, yeah, it is WAR! But we'll still review for each other! Okies, on to the fic!**

_Disclaimer: You know, right?_

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Peter lifted the door to my entrance to the home under the ground. I smiled, sliding into the perfect-fitting tube. I tried my best to land as softly as I could, but I tumbled out. My neck had bent back, I could feel the gash on my neck splitting back open. The cloth around my neck becoming wet. I clutched at it, the pain was unbearable. Forget the women and their child birth, I'm sure _they _never had their throat slit. Tears coursed down my face, pathetic whimpers erupting from my throat, making the pain worse. 

"Kino." Toriko rose to his feet, rushing over to me.

I shook my head, I knew talking would only make it worse. I pointed to my throat, feeling so utterly pathetic.

Toriko gave me a pained expression, taking my shoulder and directing me to sit on the floor near a corner.

I moved my hand from my throat. It was covered in blood. I was scared, I was losing too much blood.

Toriko sat across from me, holding his hands to my neck. Gently, he reached over it, untying the knot at the back.

The other boys crowded around me, Peter standing behind Toriko, watching with the eyes of a hawk.

Toriko began to pull the fabric away from my throat.

I winced, the blood had caused it to stick to the wound. The pain was similar to ripping a bandage, only a smidgen more painful.

Toriko chewed on his lip, slowly pulling the fabric off of the wound, the scab sticking to and lifting my skin. Finally, it was off, blood running freely from the slice. Toriko had seen me tumble in, I did not need to explain. He held a cotton ball to my neck, sopping up the blood. The cotton filled quickly. He rubbed another cotton ball across it, but this one held some sort of liquid on it.

I hissed, the cotton ball must have had some alcohol on it.

"Sorry." he mumbled, tossing the soaked cotton ball away.

Niko looked like he might cry again, it must have looked bad.

"Why does it have that yellow crust around it?" Luep asked his brother.

"I think it's called pus." he whispered back.

Great, simply wonderful.

He handed me a rag, ensuring me it was clean. He told me to press it on my wound, to clot it.

I pressed it against my throat, hoping it would not stick. I stood to my feet, scurrying over to a corner. I scooped leaves from the pile, squeezing them in my free hand. They secreted a thick, milky white liquid. It was always used it to sooth sunburns, it worked fairly well.

I returned to Toriko, plopping down in front of him. I squeezed the leaves in my hands so the liquid would leak out. I took his arm, rubbing the leaf up and down his burned, pink skin. I grabbed the other, repeating the process until his exposed skin was completely coated in the liquid. I then took my hand and began to rub it in.

He used the other arm to rub the liquid in on his neck and face. He grinned at me, "Thanks."

I smiled back. Once his hands were clean, I pointed to the rag held at my throat.

He carefully peeled it off.

The twins crowded around me, itching to get another glance at the pus-crusted wound.

Niko peeked at it through his hands.

Peter leaned over Toriko's head, looking intently at the rag.

The wound had clotted.

Toriko grinned.

I smiled back at him, I was glad to see Toriko loosening up around the rest of us.

He took clean, white bandages wrapped around his hand and oh so gently wrapped them around my neck, tying it in a bow at the back.

I stood up, helping Toriko to his feet as well. How funny we must have looked. Toriko was coated in white goop and I had a bandage tied in a bow around my neck.

The twins and Niko ran over, hugging at my legs.

I looked down at them, a smile crawling to my face. What sweethearts they were.

"Kino." Niko looked up at me with big brown eyes, "You don't have to tell us a story tonight." he mumbled.

Luep and Mota nodded, black hair bobbing.

I smacked my forehead with my palm, their story! How could I tell it now? I looked down at the boys, they were so sweet. I mouthed a 'Sorry' bending down to touch my forehead to their heads. I straightened up. I knew how I could make it better. I ushered them to bed, it was very late in the night.

They all obliged, after my ordeal, they would not put me through any trouble. The all lay in the order they always had: Toriko and Luep at the edges, Niko and Mota on the insides.

I lifted the blankets in my hand, pulling it over their still forms. I tucked them in. I gave it a thought, then decided I would be a mother, at least for the next thirty seconds. I leaned over them, and one by one, I kissed them lightly on the forehead.

Wide grins were plastered their faces, even Toriko's.

I brushed a lock of hair from his face, one of the many that hung in his face despite his red mohawk. He had really come a long way, he had finally began to warm up to me. I strolled to the lantern, unleashing a small gust of air, sinking the room in pleasant darkness.

There was Peter, his leg draped over the arm of his special chair, waiting for me, as always.

When he saw me coming he stood up groggily, giving me a sleepy half-grin. He must be exhausted.

We walked together to the room we shared. I had lost track of how long I had been here, and yet I still had not received a proper room.

He flopped down on his bed and turned down the blanket of animal furs, "Come, sleep in my bed tonight. That way if your injury re-opens in the middle of the night you can tell me."

I smiled hesitantly, I did not want to be a bother, and at the moment, sharing a bed with him felt horribly awkward. He did have a point, though. If my throat were to bleed in the middle of the night and I could not rise from my bed there would be no way for me to alert anyone. I crawled on the bed next to him, curling up in a little ball. I sneaked a glance at him.

He was staring at the ceiling, his eyelids becoming too heavy to keep at bay.

I rolled over, reaching for the pan pipes he had laid carelessly on the floor. I held them out to him, a smile on my face.

He took the hint, bringing them to his lips, he began to play.

My eyes widened. It was the same tune I had played for him my first night in Neverland. The only difference was that he played it with much more authority and talent than I could ever even hope to accomplish. I smiled that same goofy smile I had my first day, Peter's aquamarine eyes dancing in my grey ones. When he had finished, he smiled at me, his eyes half-closed. He yawned, tossing the pan pipes next to him on the bed and flopping down.

Within moments, he was out, lightly snoring.

I sat there, knees curled up to my chest, my back against the wall, and I watched him. He was a pretty boy, lanky figure, shaggy auburn hair and the cutest ears I have ever seen. The tips were pointed, like an imp or a fairy.

Fairy.

Zephyr, where was my little buddy? And Tinker Bell, where could she have gone?

I grinned when my eyes traveled out the window, two glowing lights approaching. Zephyr, you charmer, you!

A whimper cut through the silence.

I glanced down at Peter, the nightmares again.

I was a little more prepared this time. I quickly pulled his head into my lap, his hair splaying on the tattered trousers Toriko gave me to replace the dirty ones covered in blood. I smoothed his hair, making sure it did not become tangled in the rope belt I wore. My fingers made pathways through his hair, tickling his scalp in an attempt to soothe him.

It did not seem to work. I could not speak to him, I could not coo in his ear. What else could I do? I tried to hum, but a pain shot though my throat. It even hurt to swallow. I heaved a heavy sigh, then, it hit me.

That did not hurt, very much, at least. I swung my head around wildly, looking for my harmonica.

It was clear across the room.

I could not leave Peter, I don't think I would be able to rid myself of the grip he had on my long, tattered shirt. My eyes rested on a small instrument threatening to fall from the edge of the bed.

Pan pipes.

Peter's pan pipes.

I picked them up, would he mind if I played them? I hope not. I gingerly raised them to my mouth, unleashing a small puff of air into a random pipe.

A note cut through the air, it sounded sour.

I tried again, blowing softer this time.

It sounded a bit better.

I tried tooting a few notes in a row. _Doo-doo-**doo.**_

I stopped. It sounded so familiar. I think it was the short string of notes he played before rescuing me.

I winced at the memory, my neck throbbed at the thought.

I tooted those notes a few times, Peter's whimpers dying down with each repeat. He had almost ceased to cry when I put them down.

"Shhhhh," I whispered, cradling his head in my lap, "It's okay." I croaked softly.

His cries slowly stopped, his grip on my shirt never loosening. His breathing became steady. He was asleep.

I leaned my head back on the wall, heaving a sigh of relief. I ran my fingers through his hair, he looked so peaceful when he slept, so serene. I closed my eyes, trying to get some sleep myself.

_**(---.::. ADVeNTuRe AWaiTS! .::.---)**_

Peter groggily opened his eyes, sunlight streaming in through a make-shift window. He attempted to get up, two soft hands resting on his torso. He glanced up.

There was Melody, her chin resting against her chest, asleep.

Peter stared up at her, she looked a different from the first night he had watched her sleep, that fateful night he brought her to Neverland. Her cheek had a dark scar running across it, but that was not all. She looked younger, almost. There was something else, something he could not name. Her hair was choppy and tangled, dirt smudging her face, and scratches galore. Peter shook his head, becoming bored with the thought. He wiggled in her lap, blowing quick bursts of air from his mouth, mussing her hair, trying to wake her up.

She began to stir.

Peter grinned, ready to have more fun today.

_**(---.::. ADVeNTuRe AWaiTS! .::.---)**_

I opened my eyes, boy, was I beat. I looked down to see those aquamarine orbs staring back at me. I jumped, startled, but quickly regained my composer. I grinned at him.

"Morning." he smiled.

"Mor-niiiiiing." I hissed, it was the only way I could get it out.

"Training!" Toriko sang out, barging into the room. He took one look at Peter and I in our compromising position and doubled over in laughter, "What the heck are you _doing_?" he choked out between laughs.

Peter just looked at him funny, "Well, we were just sleeping."

Toriko nodded, holding a straight face, only to explode in another spurt of laughter, "J-j-just come on." he giggled, exiting the room.

Peter hoisted himself up on his elbows, yawning.

I wiggled out, rolling off of the bed. I landed with a thud on the floor, but, luckily, my neck was no where near the area I landed on. I looked to Peter, "Just go back to sleep."

Peter needed no convincing, for he flopped right back down and soon enough, was snoring softly.

I stood to my feet, searching around the room. The short sword I had grown to be accustomed to was no longer with me, it was in the forest somewhere. I shrugged, venturing to the designated training area anyway.

Standing there was Toriko, who's skin looked severely sunburned from Hook's evil goop. He held his own sword in one hand and my short sword in the other.

I grinned, the overwhelming urge to hug him hitting me full force. But, I found it in his best interest not to. If his skin was anything like sunburned skin, it would hurt.

He tossed the sword to me, and after fumbling around with it in my hands, I was able to grasp it.

"You are not going to stand a ghost of a chance against Hook." Toriko spat, drawing his sword, "All my training has done nothing. You were caught like a regular _girl _out there." he raised his hand to his eyes, "I am beyond mortified."

I glared at him, what a brat! I drew my short sword and pointed it out to him, I scowled, hoping to look a bit more intimidating.

Toriko snorted, "Scary!" he mocked.

That's it. I charged at him, taking a swing at him with my sword.

He skillfully reflected it, without batting an eye, "Don't make me laugh." he growled, pushing me off with his sword.

I stumbled back, Toriko taking full advantage as he swung at me, narrowly missing my head.

A few strands of hair fell to the ground. I stared at Toriko wide-eyed. That was my hair, this kid was serious. I pretended to swing at Toriko, but jabbed him in the side with the hilt of my sword instead.

He gripped his side, he had moved at the last minute, missing most of the damage from my blow. He smirked, a devilish look overcoming his features. He lunged at me, swinging his sword with so much force that he flung mine from my hands. He then dropped his sword and stretched his fingers out. With that he ran towards me.

It was then that I realized he wanted a fist fight. I put up my hands, reading myself for the fight.

Toriko knocked my arms away with his elbows, taking a swing at me.

I ducked quickly, popping back up. Toriko continued to pummel me, I blocked his fists with my forearms, knocking them back. I could tell Toriko was going easy on me, why, I could not tell.

He did not stop until my forearms were sore, bruised and just a bit bloody.

Toriko smiled triumphantly, bringing his sore, split knuckles to his lips.

I huffed, thoroughly worn out. I gingerly rubbed my forearms, blood smearing on my hands. I wasn't quite sure how much was my own and how much had come from Toriko's knuckles, and it made me feel kind of sick.

Toriko wiped sweat from his chin, smearing blood over it, "I know what your problem is."

I raised my eyebrows, feigning interest, my mind currently on my throbbing forearms.

"Sword play is not for you. You need something different." he sucked on his knuckles, becoming annoyed with the sensation of blood on his hands.

"Like what?" I asked, becoming rather annoyed. My throat hurt from the exertion.

"Have you ever seen these metal things? You hold onto a handle and these appendage things come out to cover your forearms. That way you can totally pummel your opponent at a close range."

I nodded my head, "Like those night-sticks the policemen use, right?" I rasped, becoming a little excited.

Toriko stared blankly at me, "Sure."

I rolled my eyes, "Where?" I rasped, oh my throat hurt! The sweat coating the bandage certainly was not helping

Toriko grinned, "I stole a pair, when Peter took me to London once."

I shook my head, what a klepto, "Where?"

"I've got them in the hideout, c'mon." Toriko walked off, motioning for me to follow.

I trotted after him, hopefully Toriko was right and this new weapon would be easier for me to wield.

_**(---.::. ADVeNTuRe AWaiTS! .::.---)**_

A dark lair, flames all about, unbearable heat, an unnerving moaning fills the air. A figure paces back and forth, a look of fury staining his face. Black lips turned downward in a fierce scowl, a pointed, crooked nose leading to yellow eyes. The dark skin of the figure clad in black robes burned with fury. He clasped his pointed fingers behind his back, his rage building with each passing moment. "What does a guy have to do to get rid of someone around here?" he mumbled.

His attention shifted when another figure entered the room. Black curls perfectly coiffed, a white shirt frilled in the front and at the cuffs on the sleeves, perfectly pressed trousers and a fine coat of a brilliant red. He removed a large red hat, adorned with a plume, from his head, his hook gleaming in the faint light.

Captain Jas. Hook.

The dark figure turned to the one who had just arrived, his eyes burning with the sight of him. He rushed over, taking the neat collar of his shirt into his hands.

"Why isn't he dead yet?" the man growled.

Hook kept his composure, prying pointed fingers from his collar, "We had a bit of a problem."

"Like what?" the blue flame on the man's head was beginning to blaze.

"Pan got away with the girl, I was not able to apprehend him." Hook replied calmly.

"You **_WHAT_**?!" the man screamed, the blue flame on his head turning to a blazing red, spreading to his shoulders in a fiery rage.

"Now, Hades, this is a way in which only a child would act." Hook chided.

Hades glared at Captain Hook, "How could you let Flyboy get away? After I was kind enough to give you a second chance." Hades pinched the bridge of his nose, "The girl, what about her?"

"Peter, quite the gallant little wretch, rescued her, but not without her sustaining an injury."

Hades nodded, "I bet he'll be more careful now." he snapped his fingers, a spark generated between them. Hades looked to Hook, slapping him across the face.

Hook did not flinch, but instead of black goop seeping out if the newly acquired gash, a warm, red liquid trickled out.

Blood.

"I gave you this new power, I gave you this life," Hades said in a low growl, "I can just as easily take it away."

Hook felt the warm liquid in his veins instead of the cold goop. It was a feeling he was not used to.

"I trust you will not fail me again." Hades glowered.

The red liquid ceased to be secreted and was soon replaced by black goop.

"I assure you, Lord Hades." Hook bowed gracefully, replacing his hat on his head and leaving the Land of the Dead to return to Neverland.

* * *

**Dun-Dun-DUUUUUUN! XD So, that answer your question _smilee5888_? And, in case you wondered, I am using the Hades of _Hercules _fame. I decided to use it because: 1. _It's Disney_ 2. _He is my favorite Disney villain _and 3. _I didn't want Hook's powers to be from Satan or anything like that, plus, I like Meg. _Let's see if any of you got that! XD On a side-note, I'm thinking of changing my pen name. What do you think? Should I stick with _Koki-chan_? Anyways, R&R! It speeds my typing fingers!**


	16. RESULTS!

**I had it all planned out with a nice intro and an intense bashing of myself including my punishment, which was to be dragged by my toes through the mud while being pelted with dung beetles. I may have lost some entries because my computer is a rotting piece of dung, and I am deeply sorry. You would have heard it in more detail had my brother not annoyed me so thoroughly that I accidentally deleted it. **_(grumble)_

**The contestants are as follows: **_Snake of Medusa _**and **_smilee5888_

**The moment I saw this entry, I knew it would be hard to top. And I was correct.**

**The winner is ...**

**Miss **_Snake of Medusa!_

**Please contact me and tell me what you want your prize to be.**

**The runner-up is ...**

**Miss **_smilee5888_

**It was such a close contest that I have decided to give you a slightly different prize. PM me for details.**

**If there were any entries I missed, please contact me! There may be need for a recount! XD**

**I thank you all sincerely for your entries and your continued support of **_Adventure Awaits!_

_Second to the Right, and Straight on til Morning, _

_**Koki-chan**_


	17. Through the Window

**I'm so sorry for the wait. I am also sorry for the small roles of everyone in this chapter, for it is mostly about Melody/ Kino, for the origins of the chapter called for it. Special thanks to Miss**_ Snake of Medusa_**, whom gave me the idea for this chapter. Thank you.**

**On a side note, I just finished reading **_Peter Pan in Scarlet_** today. It was not nearly as good as the original. But, then again, no one could compete with J. M Barrie in my book. It was quite disappointing and anti-climactic, but the last few lines made me smile.**

_Disclaimer: I like to think that you know what I own and do not own by now :D_

* * *

"You sure look happy, Zephyr." I giggled as I poked my favorite fairy.

"Hm?" Zephyr asked, a glazed look in his eyes, a goofy smile on his face.

I giggled again, happy as can be. Just moments before, Peter applied some ointment Mota made from a plant he found out in the wilderness (quite the clever boy he was, though Peter took the credit, of course). It dulled the pain of my injury and I could speak a little easier now. Certain words still hurt to say, like 'orange' and other words that had 'uh' sounds. "Did you get anywhere with Tinker Bell?"

Zephyr stiffened, a light shade of red overtaking his face, "Maybe." he said smoothly.

My smile grew wider as I watched Zephyr float off, humming a happy tune. I loved to see the little guy happy, and it certainly looked like Tinker Bell was the one who made him so giddy.

"Hey!" Toriko yelled, coming from the corner they kept the weapons.

I turned my head just in time to see two metal objects flying straight toward my head. I put up my arms, catching them with my fingers. I shot a glare at Toriko, putting my arms down.

Toriko heaved a sigh, "At least your reflexes aren't too bad, maybe I will be able to show my face to the others."

I stuck my tongue out at him before inspecting what he had thrown at me. They were long and smooth, a handle jutting out toward what I assumed to be the top of the object.

"They're tong-fa." Toriko replied, walking over to me, "You hold them like this." he put the handle part in my hand, the rest of the smooth metal covering my forearm.

I grinned at Toriko, loving the cool feel of metal on my bruised forearms.

Toriko wiped the sweat from his brow, sneaking a glance at my forearms, loosely wrapped from elbow to wrist in white bandages.

I quickly covered my arms with the tong-fa, obscuring Toriko's view of my bandages.

He sighed, giving me a weak smile before walking off.

I heaved a sigh, blowing my choppy bangs from my forehead. That boy was so hard to please. I walked over to the table and plopped down. I was not very hungry, seeing all the blood in our fight had sapped my appetite.

The boys quickly and eagerly plopped down around me at the table, Peter strolling in leisurely after them.

He plopped down as well and stared at the empty plate-leafs in front of him. He grinned at everyone, then reached a hand onto the plate, scooping invisible food in his mouth.

The boys held in their sighs as they followed suit, scooping invisible food into their mouths, slurping invisible liquid from their cups.

I stared at them for a moment before it hit me. I shook my head slightly, thankful that I was not hungry that morning.

Peter had decided that today would be a day of 'pretend meals' in which everyone was to pretend to eat or receive a beating.

I picked at my imaginary food, bringing my fingers to my mouth every once in a while to give the illusion that I was pretending to eat.

Peter pretended not to see the imaginary tea next to his plate and flew from the table to his quarters.

The boys took this as a sign that they could leave and quickly scurried off, leaving me alone at the table. I flopped backwards, my arms over my head, my tattered, forest green shirt riding up on my bruised belly. I closed my eyes, enjoying the rare silence and hating it at the same time. I tilted my head to the side as a falling sensation overtook me, my eyelids becoming too heavy to keep at bay.

**_(---.::. ADVeNTuRe AWaiTS! .::.---)_**

I was flying, the wind whipping my short, choppy hair all around, the cold biting at my cheeks. The stars ran past me as I continued to rocket forward, nothing standing in the way of me and my destination.

I stopped so abruptly that I almost flipped over. I looked around to try and get my bearings. The area I had stopped over was quiet, streetlamps flickering dully over the empty streets, not a single person it sight. I turned slowly, a light catching my eye. It was a window, a large, double-door window leading out to a balcony. I blinked, staring at the strange object floating in the air above me. I looked down, I looked up, I looked left and right. I gasped, taken aback. The streets below me had disappeared, the stars hiding under the blanket of night.

I glanced at the window warily, finding it very peculiar that the window and balcony had nothing but air supporting it. I wanted to leave and fly around this deserted street more, but I could not tell which way was left or right in the darkness.

I glanced at the window once more. It was a nice looking window, very clean and it looked inviting. I inched my way to the window, a warm light streaming through the window. I reached out my hand, wrapping it around the doorknob. I gave it a quick pull, but it did not budge.

I pulled and tugged and twisted the doorknob, but to no avail. I sighed, it was locked. I walked back to the balcony railing and settled myself upon it, my hands gripping the railing as I absent-mindedly kicked my feet. I looked through the window again and was startled to see people. I flinched, thinking myself to be caught, but the people did not acknowledge me. I assumed that they could not see me due to the darkness of the night.

There were two of them behind the window, a man and a woman. I could tell they were talking, their voices hushed.

I leaned forward, my hands and bottom still on the railing. I could just barely catch their words. I could tell she had once been a beautiful lady, but now she had dark bags under her eyes, her hair uncombed and her face unwashed.

"Have they got any leads?" a woman asked a man hopefully.

The man shook his head sadly, heaving a sigh as he collapsed onto a bed, rubbing his eyes in exhaustion.

_The bed is just my size. _I mused.

The woman buried her face in her hands and a sob cut through the silence, "What did I do?" she whispered, her voice shaking, "What did I do to drive her away?" she sobbed.

The man jumped up and enveloped the woman in his arms, "It's not your fault." he whispered, "She did not leave because of you."

"She hated school, she hated that high school." the woman continued, her voice muffled, "Why didn't I listen? Why didn't I pay more attention?" she wailed, sobs wracking her form.

The man patted the woman's back, his grey eyes glistened with sorrow as he placed his chin on the top of the woman's head, stroking her hair as she sobbed.

I screwed up my face as I watched this. What was wrong with them? Why was the woman crying so much, why was she so sad?

And the man. Why did the man look so familiar?

His hair was the colour of sand, a dirty sort of blonde, trimmed neatly at the bottom but with fringe tumbling into his eyes. His eyes startled me so thoroughly that I almost fell forward from my perch on the balcony railing.

Those eyes, full of sorrow and regret, held the twinkle of a child, a child that knew something he should not and wanted to tell someone.

But that was not the startling part, no, that was not it at all.

Those eyes the man had, those grey eyes so full of emotion.

They were _my _eyes.

I shook my head fervently, my short, dirty blonde hair flying in all directions. I opened my eyes once more to look at the man, but nothing had changed. I could see myself in that man's face, and it was starting to frighten me. My grip tightened on the balcony railing, I wanted to run, but I was transfixed by the man who looked so much like me.

"Where could she have gone?" the woman asked, her voice quivering, "Nothing was missing from her room except for a single outfit."

The man's eyes were glazed over as he held the woman. He closed his eyes and parted his lips, a single word tumbling out, "Neverland."

The woman stopped crying to look up at the man, anger in her eyes, "Don't be stupid." she hissed, "Now is not the time for your jokes."

The man did not open his eyes but small tears trickled from the corners. He held the woman close and wept like a small child clinging to his mother, "That has to be it." he whispered.

I leaned forward, their voices getting harder and harder to hear.

The woman's tired face softened as she held the man, leading him to a chair to sit down, "Now, now." she cooed, tracing soothing circles on his back, "You must stay strong."

It was startling how quickly the roles these two adults played had changed. But, what I did not understand was why Neverland had made this man so sad. It had its moments, but Neverland was a wonderful place, certainly not something to cry about.

"He has taken her." the man croaked, wiping his tears on his sleeve.

"Who?" the woman asked, startled.

"Peter Pan."

My heart jumped into my throat with such force that I fell backwards, my grip slipping on the railing. I was falling, falling backwards into the darkness of night and away from the floating window.

**_(---.::. ADVeNTuRe AWaiTS! .::.---)_**

I woke with a start, flinging myself upright so quickly I slammed my knee into the table I was sitting at. I cursed under my breath as I rubbed my sore knee, my mind racing.

Who were those people?

Who was that man?

Why did he have my eyes?

I shook my head, trying to shake those thoughts along with it. It was a dream, nothing more and nothing less. One would always have dreams in Neverland, and some were bound to be stranger than others. I nodded my head, convinced that this was true.

I rose to my feet, the pain in my knee dulling, but the sight of those grey eyes still fresh in my mind.

* * *

**I hope to update soon, but I still have my share of work.**

**I am also trying to get a date to the Sadie Hawkins dance, so wish me luck.**

**Much love to all my readers, reviewers and silent readers alike, _tu tiene mi amor por vida_.**

**&& Review speed my typing fingers profoundly :D &&**


	18. Friend or Foe

**This is just a really quick update, I'll have a longer chapter out soon! I'd like to thank all of you who have stuck by me for so long and I'd like to thank those who are just now joining me. I couldn't do this without your support. Thank you!**

**_Disclaimer: I own Kino/Melody, Toriko, Luep, Niko and Mota and Zephyr_**

* * *

I ran my fingers through my hair and was instantly brought back to the memory of the man whose hair rivaled mine. I shook my head, my hair flying in all directions. It was just a dream, a nightmare, I have nothing to do with those people, I do not even know who they are. They are figments of my over-active imagination.

Someone had always told me to keep my head out of the clouds. Who was it?

Before I knew it, my feet were carrying me outside. I shimmied up my entrance and tumbled out, careful to keep my neck straight. I stood to my feet, brushing dirt off of my clothes. My mind often did things without my permission, it seemingly decided to turn off, leaving me standing outside of the home under the ground, absent-mindedly picking at a spot of dirt on the knee of my tattered trousers.

My brain finally sputtered back to life when I was struck upside the head.

I blinked, bewildered as I whipped my head around, searching for my assailant.

I received a snicker as a blur of colour flashed from my peripheral, "No one will want to be seen around you if you keep getting those weird looks on your face." an oh-so familiar voice teased.

I grit my teeth and turned, expecting to see laughing green eyes. I was taken aback when I was met with those of aquamarine. I blinked, startled, "Oh, hi, Peter."

Peter grinned, his dirty toes slowly lifting from the ground, "Why didn't you notice me? I have been standing behind you for forever. At this rate, you'll be decapitated by night-fall." he said gleefully.

I forced a grin, "Sorry, I guess my mind is up in the clouds again."

Peter grinned wider, lifting himself higher into the air, "I'll go get it then." he said, "I may have knocked it loose when I hit you." His face said that he thought what he had said was the most clever thing ever spoken.

I chuckled, grey eyes lifting to follow the floating figure, "There will be no need for that." I murmur, lifting my hand up in the air, "It seems to be returning to me."

Peter looked over to me, suddenly swooping over my head, "Yes, I see it." he said excitedly, reaching his hand over my own, retrieving my mind before I could. "It seems to be a very naughty mind." he mused, turning my mind over in his hands.

My eyes were trained on his, my hands held over my head, "May I have it back, Peter? I shall need it later." I smiled.

My mind, faced with the fear that Peter may not return it to its rightful home, forgot all about the troubling dream it was mulling over just moments before.

Peter continued to examine my mind in his hands, "I say we punish it. It has been sneaking of far too often lately." he muttered, glaring down at it.

I ran a hand through my shaggy hair, so he had noticed that my mind had been elsewhere lately. It was bound to happen for I had been though so much these past few days. I did not blame my mind for not wanting to be in its rightful place. In fact, I feel bad for it, it has to house those awful memories. I swallowed the lump that had began to form in my throat, a small pain biting back.

Peter, who was a far more perceptive boy that I gave him credit for, swooped down and tapped me quite forcefully on the top of the head.

Instinctively, my hands rose to defend it.

He laughed jovially and gave a crow of delight, "I have returned your mind." he said proudly, tapping the dome of my head, "Ah, how clever I am. It shan't ever escape now."

My hands still cover my head, but a smile jumps to my lips. I drop my hands to my sides and bow. I do not curtsy, I will never curtsy. I bow, "Thank you, oh magnificent boy." I say a little louder than necessary.

It is obvious that Peter does not mind in the slightest.

**_(---.::. ADVeNTuRe AWaiTS! .::.---)_**

Here I lay in bed, my stomach growling and my thoughts unclear.

Peter snores softly beside me, so unaware of the inner strife I am suffering through at the moment.

My mind, having been safely returned, had just an hour ago remembered the dream it had projected that afternoon. Again, I was reminded of the sight of that dirty blonde hair, of those grey eyes. I shivered, kicking the bear-skin blanket from my body. I chewed my lip, willing my mind to behave, but it would not drop the subject of my dream.

I rolled out of the bed, falling much less gracefully than I hoped. I fell to the ground with a clearly pronounced 'thud'. I hissed, not pleased with the noise I had caused, looking up to Peter.

He continued to sleep soundly, oblivious to the world around him, truly the slumber of a child.

I rose to my feet, taking great care in maneuvering through any obstacles in the dark. I was soon in the large area of the hide-out where the Lost Boys slept in their gargantuan bed. I slowly tip-toed past them, hoping my clumsy feet would obey.

I foraged around in the kitchen area, hoping that eating a little of something would ease my troubled mind. I munched quietly on a handful of berries I found, enjoying the rare silence, listening to the soft breathing of the boys. I popped another berry in my mouth as I slowly walked to the different entrances to the Home Under the Ground.

I quickly shimmied up, deciding I would like a breath of the cool air. I finally tumbled through with more grace than I thought I would have. I stood to my feet, quite proud of my achievement.

In a flash, a hand clamped over my mouth, another blocking my vision.

My heart stopped, my throat clenched and the hairs on the back of my neck prickled.

"Don't scream." came a voice, warm breath tickling my neck.

* * *

**Cliff-hanger, huh? I promise I'll have more on what we left off on last chapter and more with Hook and Hades. I took so long and just wanted something out soon XD**

Snake of Medusa:** I'll be working on your story and your art request. I am deeply sorry for the wait!**

R&R, it speeds my typing XD


	19. Another Glimpse

**Rawr. I told you I would update sooner, but I didn't. Sorry x But, I am working hard! I'd like to thank you guys for sticking with me, all of you, from those who have been here since the beginning and those who are just tuning in. You guys keep me going :D**

_Disclaimer: Neine_

* * *

"Don't scream." the voice repeated quietly.

I tried to swallow the lump forming in my throat but was unsuccessful.

"That's a good girl." the voice whispered, seeming to sigh.

I strained my ears for each syllable the person uttered. The sound was human enough. It's a boy, maybe around my age? Yeah, that sounds right. How big is he? I slowly slid my arm across my side, extending my fingers as far as I could without lifting my arm too much. My fingertips brushed against a flat, bare stomach.

The boy squirmed under my touch and his hand closed around my wrist, my mouth now free.

"Who are you?" I demanded, my voice cracking. I cleared my throat and tried to wriggle free of his grasp.

"Shhh." the boy hissed into my ear, refusing to release his grip on my wrist and over my eyes.

"Who are you?" I said again, but quieter this time.

"Running Bear." he said in a light tone, "What's your name?"

"Running Bear?" I echoed. He must be a redskin, one of the Indians that inhabited the isle of Neverland.

"So we have the same name!" Running Bear said pleasantly, "You seem much too delicate to be described as a bear." he mused, running his fingers up my side, "Much too skinny."

I squeaked, trying to squirm away. I was horribly ticklish. "Stop!" I squeaked.

"Shhh!" Running Bear hissed, releasing my wrist to cover my mouth again.

I saw this window of opportunity and jumped through it, taking my newly released wrist and launching my elbow into Running Bear's rib cage.

Running Bear sucked in a breath and released the hand he held over my eyes.

I whirled around on my heel to come face to face with the boy.

He was at least six inches taller than I, still looking quite tall as he was doubled over, holding his stomach. His torso was bare, he wore only a pair of cow-hide pants. He looked up at me with his black eyes, his russet skin smooth. He had high cheekbones and an angular face, his thick black hair pulled pack into a ponytail. "You hit hard, Running Bear." he coughed, straighting up.

"My name isn't Running Bear." I said, "It's Kino." I puffed out my chest, trying my hardest to look tough.

Running Bear grinned, rising his index finger to his lips, "Quiet down, Kino." he said, "It is very late."

"What are you doing here?" I said, ignoring Running Bear's request.

"I should ask you the same question." Running Bear smiled. He spoke slowly, but clearly. He seemed to be quite fluent in English.

"I am a Lost Boy." I announced, "I answer to no one but Peter Pan." I scowled, glaring into his dark eyes.

"A Lost Boy?" he repeated, "You look much to pretty to be a boy."

I sucked in a breath, so, he noticed. "Well, I guess I'm not a boy-boy ..." I murmured "But, I am a Lost Boy nonetheless."

Running Bear snickered, "I was out for a walk, and a snack." he said, pointing to the furry carcass of a rabbit a few feet back.

"Why did you sneak up on me?"

Running Bear shrugged, "You looked very scareable."

I glared hard at Running Bear, "Leave." I barked, "Go back to your camp."

"But I still need to give you something." said Running Bear, taking a step closer.

"What?" I said, never taking my eyes off of him. I was wary of this boy but the prospect of a gift was very tempting.

"Close your eyes." he said.

I glared at him, but closed my eyes. I felt something drop over my head and land around my neck. I then felt something press against my forehead, something soft and warm ...

"HEY!" I screamed, swinging my fist.

Running Bear laughed, effortlessly dodging my punch, "You're so cute."

I clenched my fists, feeling my cheeks burn red.

"Who's there?!" someone yelled, startling the both of us.

"See ya later, Mel." Running Bear said, retrieving the rabbit carcass from the ground and disappearing into the forest.

"Who was that?" I heard an annoyed voice at my shoulder and turned to see Toriko standing next to me.

"A jerk." I growled, wiping my forehead.

"I agree." Toriko said, a sour look on his face. He looked up at me, "What were you doing?" he demanded, his eyes not meeting mine.

"Nothing, he sneaked up on me."

Toriko glared at me, "You should be more careful, he could've hurt you. The redskins are always hunting the Lost Boys."

"I can take care of myself just fine."

Toriko scoffed, snatching my hand, "Come on, you need to go back to bed." he huffed, pulling me along.

I let Toriko lead me back into the hideout, his hand surprisingly warm and my own surprisingly cold. My mind, despite being terribly troublesome earlier in the day, redeemed itself by reminding me of the redskin's gift.

Toriko dragged me down his special entrance, making for a cramped entrance to the Home Under the Ground. Toriko turned to me, eyeing me for a moment, "Night, Kino." he murmured, slipping into bed next to Niko.

I smiled faintly, trotting off to the room I shared with Peter.

He was sound asleep.

I crawled into bed next to him, lying atop the bearskin blanket. I reached for the redskin's gift.

It was a pendant. It was held to my neck by a thin strap of smooth, buttery leather, long enough for the pendant to rest in the middle of my chest. The pendant was simple, a grey teardrop and that was all.

I pinched the bit of strap above the pendant, dangling the teardrop above my head. Why did the redskin, Running Bear, give this to me? Something this nice could not have been a casual gift to a stranger.

They grey matched my eyes.

His eyes.

I shook my head violently, causing my neck to ache. The wound on my neck, which had scabbed over, did not crack back open at least. My mind was being mean again. I yawned, sleep is what I needed now.

**_(---.::. ADVeNTuRe AWaiTS! .::.---)_**

Again, I was flying, soaring through the air. The night was lovely, the moon a silver splash in the sky, the stars winking at me as I passed. I looked down but there was nothing there, it was as if I was flying over a canyon. When I looked up again I had to stifle a scream. There was the window again and I was heading straight for it.

I flipped in the air, coming to a graceful stop in front of the banister of the balcony. I placed my fingers on the smooth, wooden banister and a weight dropped in my stomach. A strangled scream tore from my throat as I groped for something to hold as I felt myself begin to plummet to the ground. My fingers found their way around the thick wooden beams holding the beautiful banister up. My breath came in short gasps as I struggled to compose myself. I kicked my feet but all the lift was gone.

I couldn't breathe, my fingers were beginning to cramp from supporting my weight. Hot tears were stinging in my eyes as a lump formed in my throat, further hindering my breathing. The tears began to fall as my fingers began to slip. I felt myself drop as I squeezed my eyes shut.

And suddenly, I was steadied, a warm hand wrapped tightly around my wrist. The one behind the hand pulled me up effortlessly, gently tugging me over the banister.

I opened my eyes to look into the face of my saviour, whom now held me tenderly in their arms as they cooed into my ear, but my eyes were clouded with tears.

"Breathe, breathe." was all they said as they set me on my feet.

I fisted the tears from my eyes, clearing my vision. I lifted my head to look my saviour in the face but all I saw was the large, glass window. I whipped my head in all directions, cricking my neck in the process. I muttered very rude things under my breath as I rubbed my neck. A movement of light from the other side of the glass caught me eye.

A large figure sat in the room, a bundle of blankets in their arms. He sat in the lone chair of the room decorated completely in a pastel shade of green. A white perambulator stood in the corner, a rather small crib of the same colour stood adjacent to it. A large teddy bear sat in the remaining corner, near the window.

I approached the glass, crouching down behind the shadow the large bear cast. I lightly touched my fingertips to the cool glass separating us. Immediately, the figure grew clearer as a lamp was flicked on. I narrowed my eyes. It was that man again.

His dirty blonde hair was thicker than last time I saw him, but his eyes were as bright as ever. He held the bundle of green blankets tenderly in his arms and smiled. His lips moved slowly as he gazed lovingly down at the bundle, it looked like he was singing to it.

I watched in awe as this man sang to an inanimate object and immediately questioned his sanity. That is, until I saw a tiny, chubby hand raise out of the blankets followed by the most beautiful gurgle of a laugh.

The man's eyes lit up as he cried out in joy, "Annie! She laughed!" he shouted, jumping to his feet. In his haste and excitement he missed something.

Just as the bundle in his arms, which I now knew to be a baby, laughed, a tiny lavender light burst forth from her mouth as the sound was heard. The light floated gently through the air, propelled by the gust of wind the man had left in his wake as he bounded out of the room. The tiny lavender light then passed through the window and continued to float.

I stared at the light as it passed me and I could have sworn I saw a small person lying within it. As I watched the little light float off into the night I suddenly felt as if something had tugged hard on a string somewhere behind my navel. I was thrown from the balcony, soaring over the banister and into warm arms. I felt something thud against my chest. It was the pendant that Running Bear had given me. It was warm, too warm. I could feel it through my shirt. I felt lips against my ear.

"Remember this." was all the voice said before the arms released their grip on me.

**_(---.::. ADVeNTuRe AWaiTS! .::.---)_**

I woke with a start, rocketing out of the bed and onto the floor below. I breathed heavily, running my hand through my shaggy hair, loosening the strands stuck to my forehead with sweat. I sighed, flopping back onto the floor. What was that all about.

I felt something warm on my chest. It was the pendant. It looked to be glowing dully, but I dismissed it as a trick of the moonlight streaming in through a window.

My eyelids were getting heavier. I rolled over onto my won bed, kicking the thick bear fur away as I lay down. I was asleep in no time at all.

**_(---.::. ADVeNTuRe AWaiTS! .::.---)_**

"Meddlesome redskins." a dark voice spat. Hook collapsed into his favorite chair, a beautiful wooden creation, ornately carved all over. He rubbed his left temple with his organic hand as he tapped his right temple with his hook.

"Very meddlesome, sir." Smee echoed, gingerly lifting Captain Hook's feet onto an automan.

"It is that young one, the tall, cocky one." Hook wrinkled his decrepit face in disgust.

"Much, much too confident." Smee said, nodding his head as he prepared tea.

Hook rolled his eyes, becoming annoyed with Smee's boot-licking, "If the brats gains any more allies it is going to be difficult. I need to dispose of him."

Smee froze, nearly dropping the kettle on his foot, "But, Cap'n. After the tantrum Lord Hades threw, we are not well armed enough to risk a fight with the savages."

Hook glared at him, a growl emitting from deep within his throat, "I am well aware of that Smee." he sneered, digging his hook too far into his temple. The liquid glistened, a bright and vibrant red. The red was soon overtaken by a goopy, black liquid. "We will need to call upon reinforcements. Hurry with the tea, Smee. I will be making another trip down there soon.

* * *

**I finished this right after I finished my essay for summer homework and after finding my i-pod. Eve6 played a big part in the completion of this chapter XD**

**R&R! It speeds my fingers XD**


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